Cold Moon
by Jhs Rockerbaby
Summary: Four years after BD. The Cullens are in a new town. They are all attending school again. Their new teacher happens to be Angela, and she is hiding a secret and the Volturi are planning another attack. New Chapter. The battle is on! THE STORY'S FINISHED!
1. Chapter 1

Cold Moon

Hi there. I haven't written a story in so long. So I thought I would come back and give this a try. I finished the Twilight series in less than a week. I lost weight and sleep in that week. But after it ended I just kept wondering, what happened next? Then I had the dreams. And before I knew it I was writing this story down. This morning I had a weird vision of the end. It's an awesome ending, well at least I think so. So, at least I know where I'm going.

Chapter 1. Neighbors

I drove down the foggy road at lightning speed. Much faster than I used to drive. Or so I think. I don't remember with complete accuracy, as to my pre Edward existence. I do remember my human life, but only as far back as Forks. It was as if my life started in Forks. I remember Renee and Phil, and I remember a few blurry things about Phoenix, but Forks is crystal clear, much like all my memories of Edward. I think it's because my memory of Forks and Edward are intertwined.

Today was a bitter sweet day. I will remember this day forever. Not just because I'm a vampire with perfect recall memory. But because this is a special day. We are leaving Forks. Edward and I had attended Dartmouth via internet and we had one class a week. That was plenty of time for us to go down there, get homesick, and come back. In the meantime, rumors about the Cullens' looks started to spread. At first it was comments like, you look so young for your age. Then it was whispers when people thought that one of us was far enough away to not hear. The move was a long time coming. Charlie was sad when we told him about our preparations to leave. But he had to have sensed it coming. People were starting to talk about him as well.

"Poor Charlie Swan. Has anyone seen what his daughter looks like now? No one hardly ever sees that girl since she married that Cullen boy." Charlie loves the Cullens, and he loves Reneseme. We are still on a very need-to-know-basis with Charlie. We do not mention why Reneseme has grown so rapidly, or why none of us seem to be aging at all. He never asks. He knows it is too dangerous for him to know the exact truth of us. Edward once told me that he knew, but didn't want to say it out loud, for fear that it would chase us away. He knows we are something just as magical as Jake, the Werewolf shape shifter. The tribe had accepted Charlie in openly. Maybe that is what took us so long to leave Forks. We wanted to make sure Charlie was all right. He had married Sue Clearwater last Summer. We were all there. Reneseme was even the flower girl. That was probably when it was decided for sure that we would have to leave.

We will get to see Charlie on the weekends. We had promised both Charlie and Jake that we would be down almost every other weekend. On the weekends we did not drive down, they could drive up. We only moved three hours away. A little over an hour if we drive. A little under two hours if Jacob runs and three and a half hours if Charlie drives.

"Momma, when are we going to get there?" Reneseme's voice rang, musically, a trait inherited from the Cullen's family. Reneseme looked at me questioningly from the passenger seat of my Ferarri. In truth, Reneseme was four years old, but due to her lineage she has aged to look thirteen or so.

"Marks, is only thirty minutes away from where we are now." I said, still glancing at the road. My car was in the middle of the group. Carslisle and Esme's SUV led the way, four miles behind them, Rosalie's convertible, followed by Emmit's huge jeep, a few miles back from them was my Ferarri followed closely by Edward and his shiny silver Volvo. Behind us was Alice in her shiny Yellow Porshe, a present from Edward about five years ago. And following her was Jasper in his sleek black motorcycle. The reasoning behind our lagging behind each other is due to the size of Marks. In a town as small as Marks, seven shiny expensive cars traveling so close might cause stares. So we tried to put a few cars inbetween us. Not that it will stop the gossip. The Cullens have always had a habit of being the center of rumors and gossip.

"Momma, may I start school like you and daddy?" Reneseme asked sweetly.

"I don't know hunny," I admitted, "Your aging has slowed down tremendously, but we are just starting out here. We'll have to talk it over first." She smiled excitedly. I had no fear of her academics, but I was worried. Reneseme has never been around a lot of children at one time. The phone rang and Reneseme grabbed it out of her purse, by the sound of the ringtone I could tell that it was Edward.

"Carlisle and Esme just arrived at the new house, We'll be there shortly." I could hear him through the receiver.

"Okay, thanks daddy!" Reneseme chimed.

Soon we were at our new house in Marks. It was fancy, like the house in Forks, but not as remote. The wooded area that we had grown to love in Forks, was much more dense and the road wasn't too hard to find. The house it self was large and beige. But the part that I found most surprising was the lack of windows. This house looked like a normal house. A LARGE normal house. By the time Reneseme and I had parked the car, Emmet and Rosalie were already unpacked, and Jasper and Alice were pulling into the driveway. Reneseme grabbed her bag out of the trunk Esme and Alice had made the trip to Marks a week before the big move. Alice took a lot of our clothes down and Esme moved some of the furniture. The movers had probably just made it out of Forks by now. We didn't take all the stuff from Forks with us. We left some of the furniture for Charlie. It was our subtle hint that he should spruce his place up a bit. Esme also had some of the furniture and clothes that she had sent down to Renee. With the way that Alice shopped, all of us had more clothes than we knew what to do with. Edward ghosted up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you excited yet?" he laughed. "This will be your second time through high school." I paused for a second, letting the comfortable embrace entrance me. Even as a vampire, Edward had the ability to dazzle me. Suddenly, Edward tensed.

"No, She is too young to go to school." He said sternly.

"What? You can't read my mind." I argued, as if that would change the outcome of his answer.

"No, But I can read Reneseme's. She's an open book." Reneseme pouted.

"But daddy, I will be at home in Grandma's way." She protested.

"She has had to stay hidden all her life, for fear that someone would notice how fast she grows." I pointed out. "Since her growth has slowed, she could start school up and we could make her a freshman. She could pass as fourteen." Edward frowned.

"It will be too dangerous." He continued, but I could hear his resolve slipping. He hated not being able to show Reneseme off. Taking her out was a mess when she was younger. We had to make sure that we went to another town, and that we kept her inside, and tightly guarded. She has never even showed a hint of thirst for a human, but there was always a fear that someone would smell too good to pass on. We kept her at the house a lot. Her big vacation away from Forks was going to La Push for Jacob visits. Since Reneseme was born, the loosly held treaty between the Cullens and the Quillettes vanished. There were no more lines. We were invited to La Push anytime. The pack accepted the Cullens as friends and loved Reneseme as if she had been one of their sisters. Jacob had grown fond of teasing Quil about Claire not growing as fast as Reneseme. The idea of Jacob imprinting on Reneseme was still a sticky subject with Edward and me.

"Daddy please! I will be at the same school and you can watch me. You can make sure I don't do anything bad." Reneseme pouted, sticking out her bottom lip.

"YAY!" I looked up in time to see Alice dash down the stairs of the house and run towards us. " Nessie's going to school with us!" She beemed. Edward glared at her.

"I haven't agreed to that." He pointed out.

"But you will!" Alice laughed. Reneseme clapped her hands and hugged Edward. She was bouncing as much as Alice was.

"We will have to get her papers redone. We had her age as twelve." Edward mused. " We will need to make her fourteen. That will take a few days. We will also have to work with her and Bella," He noticed that I was listening. "In preparation for the new school year." He pointed out.

"I'm prepared." I protested.

"Really?" He smirked. "Quick, what's your birthday?"

"September thirteenth, nineteen eighty five." I answered without thinking.

"Wrong answer. We would have been discovered." He said smoothly. "Being born in nineteen eighty five would have made you twenty three." I cringed. I should have remembered that. "Your birth certificate says that you were born in nineteen ninety three." This was going to be harder than I imagined.

"I can remember my birthday, daddy!" Reneseme chirped. "September tenth nineteen ninety four!" Reneseme sounded convincing and she was quick to do the math.

"Edward." Edward added. " You can't call me and your mom, Mommy and Daddy, You'll have to call us Edward and Bella." Reneseme looked confused.

"Do you not like me calling your daddy?" She asked innocently.

"Nessie, normal kids do not go to school with their parents. Nor do they call other kids that look their age, Mommy and Daddy." Alice explained. Nessie nodded.

"Bella, You and Jasper go get Reneseme's papers fixed and we'll all begin school on Monday. That will give a few days to get you two ready." Edward held back a smile. "You two will need all the help we can give."

"And that gives me time to go buy us some new outfits." Alice smiled. Reneseme loved shopping with Alice. Unfourtunatly, not many others enjoyed it. Alice stopped and was lost in a vision. Edward and I exchanged glances. Alice blinked, and turned and looked around. In a split second Edward and I followed her gazes. Rosalie was zipping around unpacking everything. Emmet was all ready up the tallest tree, checking for prey, Carlisle was carrying in suitcases, six at a time and Jasper was ghosting around the woods, making sure there was nothing suspicious.

"Everyone! I saw something!" Alice called. Instantly, the whole family was around her. "I saw someone approaching."

"The movers?" Rosalie asked.

"No, they just left Forks. They're lost. It will take them a few hours to find this place." She replied. "I saw, a family, and they're on their way here."

"I wonder why.." Jasper mumbled.

"They're being friendly. They heard they had new neighbors and they wanted to say hi." Carlisle guessed. "I also think they saw all the cars. Well, We all know the last names we're using? Jasper and Rosalie Hale, Alice, Emmet, and Edward Cullen, and Bella and Reneseme Swan." We had decided that it would be easier if we said that Reneseme was my cousin. She had my brown hair and eyes and followed my body shape, therefore it would be easier to explain her as a relative to me. The story was that my dad was taking care of both of us, and then died in a car accident. The Cullens were kind enough to take us both in. The wreck happened four years ago. Which, technically, was when we joined the Cullens. "All right, we are to act like a normal family. Emmet, help me carry in the suit cases, one by one. Bella, you and Reneseme, unpack one of your suitcases in your car and repack it. Make it look like it came undone, or that you are searching for something." We took to our chores. Jasper, Rosalie and Alice went inside. They would look like they were arguing over who had to cook tonight. Edward stayed with Reneseme and me. Reneseme had just strewn our suitcase all over the back of my Ferarri when I heard the noise of an SUV turn down our road. We stood and didn't begin to repack our stuff until we could hear the SUV better. The SUV was a black Toyota. Once it was in sight we could tell there were four people inside. Two adults, and two teenagers. The teens were about the same ages as we were pretending to be. Once the car stopped. The people paused for a second and then stepped out. The driver was the first one out. He was an older man. Mid fifties. He was tall and missing a lot of hair in the middle of his head. His hair was greyish white. He seemed friendly. The lady in the passenger side was about the same age as the man. She was a little more plump, and had short reddish brown hair. She seemed to have a fake smile on. The kids were the last to exit the car. There was a boy, who appeared to be the oldest. He was really tall, not taller than Jake, but still tall. He had funny curly brown hair and was probably prettier in his mind that in reality. Then there was a younger girl. The girl was a bottle blonde, and had smaller features than the boy, but it was obvious that they were brother and sister. Her nose was long and pointy. Her freckles stuck out more than anything. Her true hair color was probably red. The man walked toward us. We waited until he and his family were closer for us to act like we noticed them.

"Why hello there, young man." The man said in a warm tone to Edward. He seemed to pick Edward out of all of us to say hello to.

"Hello." Edward replied. He then looked back to the house and called out in his velvety voice, "Dad, we have company." Carlisle bound out of the house, in what looked like a human jog. For Carlisle it must have been embarrassingly slow. Esme followed behind him. He approached the man and his family and shook the man's hand.

" Hello, I'm Carlisle Cullen, You must be the Ogdens." Carlisle smiled at all of them. That's when Alice, Jasper and Rosalie made their walk out of the house. They were noisely arguing about who had to cook supper. They all made a point of seeing the newcomers and quickly bounded up to say hi. Emmet also appeared out of nowhere and took flank next to Rosalie.

"Well yes, we are." Mr Ogdon flushed, obviously surprised at how many of us there were. " I'm Bob Ogdon, this is my wife, Gina, and my kids. Mike, and Carol." The kids stepped forward to get a look at all of us.

"Nice to see you again Bob." Carslisle turned to Esme. "Bob is the CEO of the hospital. He was kind enough to give me a job here." Carlisle then looked at all of us. "These are my children, Emmet, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Edward, Bella, and Reneseme." Carlisle made a point of indicating all of us as he spoke our names. The Ogdons looked shocked to see so many of us. Mike and Carol gave each of us a look over. Carol's eyes flashed with envy when she eyed Rosalie. Rosalie gave her trademark smile. It is the type of smile that says, hi, and yes I am prettier than you at the same time. The girl look dumb struck and upset. Mike on the other hand, searched us up and down. Edward watched him wearily. When Mike's eyes made their way to us, Edward quickly, took my hand and nudged me a step behind him. Then Edward's eyes flashed and he was struggling to hold back a growl. I quickly realized what he was mad about. Mike was staring at Reneseme. I let the band of my shield slip around Mike so that Edward could not hear his thoughts. Edward seemed to relax a little. The Ogdon's didn't seem to notice Edward's glare at Mike.

"Wow, Bob never mentioned that you had so many lovely children." Mrs Ogdon marvelled. She blushed a lot around Carlisle. Mr Ogdon had probably warned her about how young he looked, but forgot to mention the unbelievable amount of beauty we all possess.

"Well, they are our adopted children. Emmet, Edward and Alice Cullen came to us at various times a long time ago. And Rosalie and Jasper Hale are twins, they are Esme's sister's children. They've been with us since they were eight, and Bella and Reneseme Swan are cousins. Their father died about four years ago and they came to live with us." We have definatly hit our teen vampire quota, I thought. Seven kids is a lot of explaining. Mrs. Ogdon looked at each of us. She motioned to her son.

"Mike here is a junior, he's a basketball player, East high's best. And Carol is a sophomore, she's a cheerleader on the JV team. You'll be seeing a lot of them." I lifted my shield enough for Edward to hear my thoughts. I thought cheerleaders were supposed to be pretty. Edward's lips twitched. He glanced at me and at Rosalie and Alice. I guess I wasn't the only one that thought that.

"That's nice." Edward replied. He was the quickest person ever to be able to recover a joke. "Rosalie, Jasper and Emmet are Juniors. Bella, Alice and I are Sophmores, and Reneseme, here," He said putting his arm around Reneseme. "Is a freshman." Reneseme beamed. She officially was allowed to start school next week.

"We stopped by to welcome you into the town of Marks." Mrs. Ogdon said, she looked like she was having trouble making the words come out of her mouth. "This town is usually very quiet but we have had so many new people move into Marks this week alone. Your family, another family and a new teacher. We are having a dinner tomorrow to meet everyone. You have to come." She didn't make it sound like a request. "You just need to bring a dessert and we will all have fun." We all looked at Carlisle. We would stand out if the Ogdon's noticed that none of us ate, well except for Reneseme, who still preferred to hunt her meals.

"Well, we still have to get the children's files from their last school." Esme said, trying to help us get out of the dinner.

"Nonsense." Mr. Ogdon said, "The Bar-b-que starts at seven. No school will be open that late, it will be fairly informal so no need to dress up." I relaxed. A bar-b-que would be better. We could all walk around and discreetly dispose of the food on our plates.

"That sounds nice. We'll see you then." Esme replied, and her and Mrs. Ogdon fell into polite conversation. Mike looked around the area. He looked as if something was missing.

"Do you guys have a dog?" he asked.

"No, we don't have any pets." Jasper said quietly.

"Really," Mrs. Ogdon asked, "Everyone has a dog around here. Better than an alarm system. They are wonderful."

"Oh we used to have a dog." Edward looked at Reneseme and smiled. " He was a dumb thing. His name was Jake. We left him with some friends at our old town." Every one in the family laughed at the inside joke. Even Reneseme. Edward had to know that she was going to show this moment to Jake. The Ogdons looked nervous.

"Well, that's too sad." Mrs. Ogdon replied. "Our German shepherd just had puppies, when they get a little older, your family is more than welcome to one."

"We're not really pet people." Carlisle sighed. "We don't have a lot of time to properly take care of a pet." The truth be told, no dog would stay with us. Animals seem to be able to smell us and run. Most dogs don't even bark. Even the best guard dogs turn tail and run leaving their masters for dead, when we go around.

"Dad, we're going to go pick up supplies for supper." Rosalie said motioning Emmet to the large Jeep.

"And Jasper and I are going to go pick out outfits for the party tomorrow!" Alice rang.

"I hope you like Wal-mart clothes." Carol mumbled. Alice looked at her clothes and then glared at Carol.

"Why would you say that." Alice looked slightly hurt and mad that Carol had just mistaken her designer clothes for Wal-mart knock offs. Or even insinuate that Alice would shop at Wal-mart for her clothes.

"The only mall is almost an hour away. The only store we have around here is Wal-mart. And the mall that's an hour away only has Sears, JcPennies, and a few teen stores." Alice looked horrified.

"I forsee." She began. We all stiffened and looked at her horrified. "That I will be shopping online a lot." We all laughed a little tense. Alice stalked off, probably to go set her computer up and start shopping online. I lifted the shield away from Mike and Edward politely excused all three of us and we walked over to start organizing the suitcase that we had strewn everywhere.

"Mike's debating whether or not he should come and talk to us." Edward mumbled, clearly annoyed. "He's also deciding which one of you he wants to hit on." This time Edward sounded angry.

"Whose car is this?" Mike asked walking up to my Ferrari. I looked up. He was obviously transfixed on the car. It must be a guy thing.

"It's my car." I replied. "It's an early birthday present." I thought I had better keep the fact that Edward bought it for me as a wedding gift a secret.

"It's awesome." Mike said, looking only at the red car.

"Mike, it's time to go." Mrs. Ogdon called. Mike slowly turned and walked away from the car. The Cullens bid their farewell and walked back to start unpacking. We stayed near my car as they got in to their seats. They started the engine and let it set for a second. We could hear the family even though they were in the car and whispering.

"They are all so weird." Carol complained. "That's a lot of kids."

"And all the girls are hot, and creepy." Mike replied. "And did you see all of their cars!"

"They also look like they need a tan, and a nap!" Carol snorted, obviously trying to distract her brother from our looks.

"They are definatly something different." Mr. Ogdon replied. "They all look so young."

"And pretty." Mrs. Ogdon added. "We'll have to keep an eye on them."

Now I have this part down. I am working on the second chapter as I type. I would appreciate R/R. Thanks guys!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the wonderful reviews. It took a lot longer than I suspected to finish this chapter, but I believe I did a good job on it. Let me know.

COLD MOON

Chapter 2 Picnic

"Are you ready Jasper?" I asked getting into the drivers seat of my Ferarri. Jasper came slowly out of the house and joined me.

" It's all right, Bella. I could go alone." He offered.

"No, I promised that I would be the one helping when it came to doing the papers." I insisted. Four years ago when I thought we were all going to die in a battle against the Voultri, I had papers done up for Reneseme and Jacob. The lawyer, . requested me for any other transactions we might do. It was plain that Jasper scared him. I didn't want to break my promise, but I didn't like going down there alone. So would have to settle for a half truth.

"Wait!" Alice cried and she came running down the car. She quickly pecked Jasper on the cheek and looked up at me. "You might want to get Jake some papers saying that he is seventeen." She smiled. "I have a feeling he might want to visit Reneseme and not be picked up for being a child molester." I forgot that Jacob was twenty now. I nodded.

I quickly started the car and drove off.

Jasper and I sat in comfortable silence. After four years, I learned that Jasper perferred silence. Due to my life with Charlie, I perferred a lot of silence also. We quickly made it to Mr. Jenk's office. Jasper and I walked through the door. Jasper quickly sat down and I walked to the receptionist.

"Tell Mr. Jenks that Isabella Cullen is here for him." The receptionist, a young girl just out of her teen years nodded. I tried to act like I didn't notice her staring. She paged Mr Jenks.

"What is it Karen, I have an appointment in twenty minutes. Surely they are not here."

"No, Mr. Jenks." She blushed, then looked up at us. "There is an Isabella Cullen in the waiting room." I could sense the air change.

"Isabella Cullen? Let her in." He sounded almost excited. The receptionist looked spooked and ushered me in. I noticed just a tint of envy in the way that she looked at me. Jasper dashed in behind us, before she could even notice that he was there.

"Isabella Swan. Isn't that the name we had put on your birth certificate?" Mr Jenks smiled, at ease. He then noticed Jasper standing in the room. "Oh! Mr. C-cullen, What a surprise. He studdenly straightened up in his chair. "I thought Mrs. Cullen was going to be in charge of the papers from now on." He looked suddenly nervous. "There wasn't anything wrong with the papers were there?" Jasper glared at him, menacingly.

"No, there wasn't. We just need to change the age on one of them." I answered, reassuring Mr. Jenks. "I also want to have you make another one for me." He looked quickly to me and then nervously back to Jasper.

"A-another one?" he looked scared.

"Yes." I pulled out a picture we had taken of Jacob and Reneseme last week.

"Reneseme Swan. I need her age changed to 14. That would make her birthday September tenth, 1994. I also need a drivers liscence made for a Jacob. T. Wolfe. Age 17. You can make up the birthday." I smiled and looked over at Jasper, who gave me an approving smile.

"Okay, Jacob T. Wolfe, and Reneseme Swan." Jenks repeated. "W-when do you want them?"

"We would like them before Monday morning." Jasper replied cooly. Mr. Jenk's eyes darted between me and Jasper.

"That should be fine. Same resturaunt as always?" He asked. Jasper nodded.

"Okay, Seven o'clock, Saturday night." I smiled and nodded.

"That sounds perfect." I added.

"May I request a favor?" Mr. Jenks added. Jasper glared at him and you could sense shrink. "I have a new partner, he will be taking over the business in a few years, may I bring him along? He has yet to meet you and I want him to understand how our business transactions work." I looked to Jasper for an answer. Jasper smiled evily.

"That sounds permittable."

"Thank you." Mr Jenk's heart was pounding so loud that I thought that the receptionist could hear it in the waiting room. Jasper stood and I stood to follow behind him. "Same price as usual." Jasper looked behind him and gave Mr. Jenks a menacing smile. Mr. Jenk's heat continued pounding until after we had shut the door and were in the car. .

Once we were in my car and a mile away from Mr. Jenk's office. Jaspers face softened. He then started to laugh.

"What is so funny?" I questioned.

" Mr. Jenks' mood changed the second he noticed I was in the room. That was not me changing the atmosphere." I laughed. Poor Mr. Jenks. "That's how you keep people from stepping on you." He added.

"I thought the fact that we could dismember a person before they could even think to scream would do the trick." Jasper laughed again.

"That too."

" Jasper, may I ask you a question." I hoped he was in the mood for talking, or it was going to a really long ride home.

"Sure." He said, but he looked wary.

"Are there any other fictional characters I need to worry about? I know there are vampires, the voltri, werewolves, shapeshifters. Are there any others?" Jasper leaned back into the seat and thought for a moment.

"What does Edward say?"

"That I shouldn't worry about it." I paused. I consitered letting the subject drop there, but Jasper looked willing to talk.

"All stories have a basis somewhere." He started. "So all the characters of human nightmares have some basis. There are werewolves, and I have even met a banshee once. There are also witches. But not to the extent that the movie, "The Wizard of Oz" portrays. They are more attuned to nature and have an uncanny way of getting things to go their way."

"So it's all real?" I felt a bit foolish asking this question.

"Yes. But I wouldn't worry. We have no real enemies. The Voltri try their hardest to live in harmony with the others. Or they destroy them completely. Like the werewolves." The rest of our drive was silent.

It was nine o'clock by the time we got back to the house. We walked in and Edward and Alice were dressed in black with dark black paint smudged on their cheeks. The black paint made their white skin look almost translucent. Jasper and I stared at the two of them, bewildered.

"While you were gone, we went spying on the Ogdons." Alice sang, bounding up to us. Alice and Edward looked like the most out of place burglars in the world. Both were dressed in name brand black outfits and Alice was wearing high heels, and had her make up done. Their 'camoflauge' black streaks were placed perfectly on their cheekbones, making them appear to be actors in a teen version of, "Charlie's Angels.

"What did you find out?" I was a little disappointed that I had missed out on the mission.

"That the boy, Mike, is probably going to get mauled by a vampire." Edward said darkly. "I don't like the way that kid talks." Edward frowned obviously remembering what the boy had thought. Alice rolled her eyes.

"The big point is that Mr. Ogdon was in desperate need of a lead doctor. No one wanted to move here and take the job. People would rather have driven an hour to the next hospital than risk their lives at the St. Mark. To them, Carlisle is a God send." Alice had skipped over to the couch, and we had all followed her further into the house. "Mr. Ogdon is making sure that we like it here. He is forcing Carol to befriend us and invite us to all of her sleep overs. And he is going to have her follow us around." It was my turn to be annoyed. I didn't like being the new shiny toy in Forks, and I know I didn't grow an affinity to it here. "It's strange," Alice mused. "We have always been ignored. People usually try to avoid us. Here we are going to be in the center of popular crowd." I could almost hear Alice thinking of what clothes to wear. "Oh and Carol insists on referring to us as the Adam's family." I could feel my mouth twitch, fighting back a smile. That was a new comparison for me.

"So we're not in for any big suprises tomorrow?" I looked from Alice to Edward. "They aren't planning on beating us with garlic and shoving stakes into us." Edward shook his head and laughed.

"You know that's a myth. The stakes would shatter or hurt the person's hand more than it would hurt us."

"But the garlic has some truth to it." Jasper added. "It smells really bad. Would you eat anything that was doused in garlic?" I thought this through. Jasper was right. Almost every story does have some tidbit of truth in it.

"Where is Reneseme?" I asked, noticing that she wasn't mentioned.

"She went hunting with Esme and Carlisle." Edward answered. "They didn't want her even the slightest bit thirsty when we go to dinner tomorrow." Edward looked at me. "And that goes for you too. We'll go hunting after Reneseme is asleep." I decided that it was time for me to straighten up the room and unpack from the move. I went upstairs to see what room was reserved for me. I saw the first room, it obviously belonged to Reneseme. All of her artwork and books were all ready organized on the shelves. Her bed spread was allready laid out on the plush mattress. Since Reneseme was the only one that slept, her bed was going to be the most comfortable bed within a five hundred mile radius. At least, that was Edward's view. The second room was opened. Dresses piled on the couch, waiting to be put into the closet. This must be Jasper and Alice's room. The next room had the door shut and loud music was playing. I knew better than to open that door. It had to have been Emmet's and Rosalie's room. Finally, near the end of the hall was a corner room. I looked in the doorway and saw that most everything was organized. There were a few outfits thrown on the bed. But all of Edward's CDs were organized and my books were on the book shelf in alphabetical order. Our room lacked a lot of clutter. There were no real sentimental trinkets, or photos plastered on the wall. There were no traditional teen idol posters plastered on the walls and ceilings. Our room was mature. Far too mature for teenagers. I had never really had a 'teen' room, but I had seen Jessica's room. It was covered with some rock band's paraphenalia. Our music wasn't really the type that screamed, 'rock idol'. Edward would surely laugh if I even suggested putting up a poster in our room to help us look 'normal'. That's when it hit me. I quickly turned and rushed downstairs to Alice. She was standing near the couch joking with Jasper. Probably about the way he treated . Edward was putting a CD into the player in the living room.

"Alice. If Carol invites us to sleepovers, won't we be encouraged to do the same?" Alice's eyes lit up.

"That sounds like fun! I've never had a human sleep over before. Well, except with you, but you know what I mean, Bella."

" If they sleep over here, they'll notice that we only have a few bedrooms."

"Bella, We all sleep in the same room. It wouldn't be fun if we all stayed in separate rooms." Alice giggled. It was apparent that she was all ready thinking of all the fun slumber party things she could do.

" That's not what I meant. I mean, 'normal' teens do not share their rooms with their adopted 'brothers'" I used the dreaded air quotes on the word brothers. Alice scowled.

" I never thought of that before. We also don't have beds. Except for you and Reneseme." Alice added thinking it through. "I suppose, if we had a sleep over we could have everyone stay down here."

Just then Carlisle, Esme and Renesme walked in.

"Ma-Bella, You'll never guess how big the deer I caught was!" Reneseme beamed. A pang of hurt rushed over me when she said my name instead of, 'momma. But I knew why she was doing it. She looked at Edward and smiled. "And Edward, you would be happy with me, I was extremely careful." She emphasised every word. Esspecially, Edward. Reneseme looked so proud of herself.

"She's been practicing saying your names throughout the entire hunting trip." Esme said with much satisfaction. "She's done a fantastic job."

"That's wonderful hunny!" I gushed. She will blend in perfectly at the new school. I then saw a picture of Reneseme and me in the meadow at Forks. I was carrying her, and Edward was not too far in front of us. She looked to be about four. "Don't worry, I'll always think of you as Momma." I heard Reneseme's voice ring perfectly clear. Her ability to share her thoughts with others was growing, just as she was. She had gained control of it and was able to project her thoughts into anyone's mind. She didn't even have to touch them anymore. She merely had to be around them. Her memory was such a sweet reminder. It was what I needed. I scooped her up in a hug.

"Come on, Reneseme. Let's get ready for bed."

"You mean, let me get ready for bed." She squirmed away from my hug. She dashed upstairs . A few minutes later Edward and I went upstairs to check on her. She had washed her hair, brushed her teeth, changed and was waiting for us in her room. She might have looked fourteen to most, but to us; she was our four year old daughter.

"Do you want us to read you a book, or do you want to read one tonight?" Edward asked sitting on the side of her bed. I sat on the other side. We had done this ritual every night since Reneseme was a year old.

"I want to read one, Edward." She smiled.

"I like it when you call me Daddy, Reneseme. Just remember not to say that while we're in school." He sighed. Hearing Reneseme call him Edward must have hurt him as much as it hurt me to be called Bella.

"Okay, Daddy." She grinned. She picked up a book of stories and opened it to the Tall Tale Heart. She read the Title aloud.

"Don't you think that's a little scary for a bed time story?" Edward scoffed.

"Edward, she lives in a house full of vampires." I pointed out. He nodded and gave a heart melting smile.

"As I was saying, The Tall Tale heart." Reneseme started reading the classic aloud. She was beautiful. She was just barely shorter than I was, With dark curly hair. She loved it long so the curls fell past her shoulders. Her eyes were like mine, yet her features were a lot like Edwards. She was pale, with just a hint of blush. And luckily, she was graceful. She finished the story and curled up under the blankets. Edward and I kissed her goodnight and left the room.

The following afternoon was hectic. Carlisle was trying to make sure we knew how to act human. The others grumbled and recited the reminders for the hundreth time. Reneseme and I agreed. We were going to have to keep working on it.

"I trust everyone here to keep us safe. But everyone knows that the first public meeting is very important. One slip up and we might have to move." Carlisle reminded us. Rosalie and Emmet appeared out of the forest. Their eyes shining a light honey brown. They were the last of the family to hunt.

"Now, we need to go pick up ingredients for the dessert we are supposed to bring." Rosalie stated.

"Yeah! Trip into town!" Emmet cheered. I felt a vision of Reneseme pouting and I heard her voice. "Can we go too, Momma?" I looked at her, she was staring at me, same pouty look.

"Of course we can go." I said, "If it's okay with everyone." I added. Alice quickly joined us, and Jasper followed her.

"Perhaps, it would be better if all of us went." Esme suggested. "We should start showing our faces in public. Maybe this will keep the rumors of us being recluses down." We had all decided on taking Edward's Volvo, Rosalie's Mach 3 and Carlisle's Mercedes SUV. We traveled down the windy road to the main road and headed to Main Street. Marks was bigger than Forks. But not by much. There are probably just a little more than ten thousand people in Marks. That would put a few extra kids in the high school. Maybe we wouldn't be the only new kids.

With very little trouble, we found the Wal-mart. It was one of the largest buildings in Marks. It wasn't even a SuperCenter. The store closed at nine o'clock. Which was fine with me. I had seen the people that would go into a Wal-mart after midnight. I was a mostly indestructible vampire, and Wal-mart after midnight still gave me the creeps. We all parked and walked into the store. As soon as we walked into the store, we knew we were being watched. The people greeter was too stunned to greet us and one of the cashiers did a double take. We walked past, acting as if we didn't notice anything.

"Is it always like this the first time you go into a store in a new town?" I mumbled, too quietly for any human to hear.

"Always." Was Rosalie's whispered reply. Esme grabbed a shopping cart and began walking down the aisles. She reminded me of a Stepford mom. Only much prettier. Rosalie and Emmet quickly excused themselves. Emmet was going to go look at sporting goods and afterwards Rosalie was going to drag him to the cosmetics department. Alice and Jasper made a show of asking Reneseme if she wanted to join them in finding a CD. Renesme agreed and they walked off in another direction. This was, of course, all planned. We were supposed to look like a normal family. Normal families would split up and find things they could not live without. Emmet had every sporting good thing known to man, and Rosalie did not need another hair product, but it looked natural to go buy some of these things. Edward and I offered to stay with Carlisle and Esme and help them shop. As the newest vampire and the one with the best memory of what food tastes like, it was my job to figure out what desserts we were going to bring. I had decided on brownies and a cake with strawberries on top. It was late August, and there was still time to bring summer goodies to a picnic. We wandered up and down the aisles. Carlisle and Esme were having a nice time. They were trying real hard to look casual and smile and wave at all the people. We all stole quick glances at the people as we passed them.

"Yes, they are all staring." Edward mumbled. We went through and started picking up the ingredients needed. Soon, Jasper, Alice and Reneseme came back, Reneseme, holding a CD she had found. As we made our way to the checkout stand, Rosalie and Emmet came running up. Rosalie was carrying some hairspray, shampoo, and a styling gel. Emmet was carrying weights. I checked the numbers on the weights and quickly looked around for people watching Emmet.

"Emmet, make those look heavier!" I whispered. "You're carrying almost two hundred pounds." Emmet quickly looked like he was straining.

"Bella, could you move all that stuff in the cart and make room. These things weigh a ton!" He said, sounding strained.

"That's better." It took us a while to get out of the store. The Cashier was brave enough to ask us if we were the new family in town. We introduced our selves, and the cashier looked as if she was getting secret information about a spy. No doubt, she would run to the break room and dish to every associate back there. We quickly made it to our vehicles and were heading back to the house when I got a phone call from Alice.

"I THINK Jacob is going to visit today. Stupid dog." Alice was still a little miffed that Jacob's future couldn't be seen. It gave her a headache trying to see visions around him. Edward found it amusing that, for once, someone was annoying Alice. It was Friday, so it made sense that Jacob would visit. Once we reached the house, we could see Jacob's motorcycle in the drive. Reneseme was almost out of the door before we stopped. She dashed out to find Jacob, who was not far from his bike.

"Jacob!" She cried. He grasped her in one of his bear hugs.

"Hey, there, Nessie, I missed you!"

"How were you sure you got the right house?" I asked, getting out of the car. Jacob gave me one of his trademark looks.

" I could smell you guys from MILES away." He said making a face. Reneseme pushed away from his embrace and looked up to him.

"Do I smell badly?" She asked.

"Of course not! You smell wonderful." Reneseme turned away from Jacob and looked at us. Jacob made a face and shook his head, covering his nose and acting like she smelled of rotten eggs.

"Jacob! I do not smell." She protested. Jacob ignored her.

"I was coming to see if I could take Reneseme to see a movie." He didn't quite make it sound like a question. Edward stepped forward.

"We have to go to a picnic tonight, Jacob." Jacob looked like he was trying to supress a laugh.

" I didn't know the blood banks had picnics." He was the only one to laugh at his joke.

" No, some neighbors are welcoming us into town and it would look bad if the only one of us that actually ate, didn't show up." Edward had grown a little fond of Jacob. As long as Jacob didn't think of any future plans with Reneseme, and kept his vampire jokes to a minimum. Jacob was still allowed to make jokes about Rosalie. Edward liked hearing Jacob try to make a new blonde joke that Rosalie had never heard.

"How about after the picnic we ALL go to the movies." I suggested. Jacob looked a little uncomfortable with that.

"He wants to take her to see that vampire movie!" Edward growled. Jacob looked up and smiled.

" I didn't think that!" he defended.

"No, I just know you really well. That movie has no truth in it! It just makes vampires look like blood thirsty monsters." Jacob coughed back a laugh.

"Okay," I said stepping in before the argument could get out of hand. "We'll go to the picnic, then we'll ALL go see this movie. How bad could it be? But first, we will all go get ready for the picnic. You too Jacob." I gave Jacob a glance.

"Won't they wonder why we named our dog after Jacob?" Reneseme asked.

"Human's don't have that good of a memory, love." Edward comforted her.

"What?" Jacob asked wearily. Reneseme looked at him, we could see that the memory of yesterday was playing in her mind.

"You called me the family dog?!" Jacob bellowed.

"Family stray is more like it." Rosalie shot. Emmet gave her a pat on the back as Jacob glared at her.

"Rosalie, do you know why there are no brunette jokes?" Rosalie turned and growled at Jacob.

"I don't want to hear it!" her voice held a hint of a threat in it. Jacob acted like he couldn't hear her.

"Because the blondes would have to think them up!"

"I've already heard that one." Rosalie rolled her eyes. "It wasn't even that funny." But Edward was holding back a laugh and Emmet wasn't even trying to hold back a laugh.

"Good one Jacob!" He laughed. He noticed that Rosalie rolled her eyes and turned to walk away from him. "Awe, come on, Babe, even you have to admit it was a little funny." He pled as he followed her.

After a bit of arguing and cooking, we were ready to drive to the Ogdon's. We had agreed to let Jake drive Reneseme, Edward and myself in my Ferrari. I was still, 'officially' fifteen for a few more weeks, so I couldn't drive my car. We pulled in behind Rosalie, Emmet, Jasper and Alice. Esme and Carlisle were right behind us. I couldn't help but note that we were perfectly on time, and there were all ready a lot of cars here. I could see Carol and her clique in a corner and Mike and he group near the food table. No one had really noticed us yet. We all walked towards the house. Rosalie, Esme and I all had a dish in our hands. It was Gina Ogdon that noticed us first.

"There's our guests!" She beamed. She liked all the attention she was getting for inviting us to her party. " Look at the wonderful desserts you brought."

"Thank you." Esme smiled. " We were all so excited that we made a few desserts." It was apparent that Gina was going to talk to Esme the entire time.

"Kids, don't be shy, grab a plate and dig in!" Gina motioned us to the buffet. We took little samples of the dishes. Between Jacob and Reneseme taking food off of our plates and our ability to move faster than humans can see. It will look like we ate most of our meals. Mike caught sight of us and brought his friends over.

"You made it." He sounded a little too relieved to see us. I couldn't help but feel like his friends didn't believe we looked as weird as he had claimed. By the looks on their faces; we were as weird looking as Mike had claimed. "Who is this?" Mike gestured to Jacob, who had switched his empty plate with Edward's mostly full one.

"This is our friend, Jacob." Edward replied. I tried to hide my surprise. Edward just announced Jacob as a friend. Jacob was obviously just as shocked as I was. " Jake is from our old town and he came to visit." Mike nervously shook Jake's hand. He talked for a brief second and then excused him and his friends. Edward glared at Mike as he walked off and turned to sneak a peek at us.

"Wow, Cullen, even though you're cold bloodsucker, you look almost red. What is it with Bella that attracts human boys named Mike?" Jake was enjoying the sight of Edward fuming. Edward grinned.

"He was thinking of Bella for a bit." Edward said through clenched teeth. "But it seems, Mike prefers thinking of Renesme." It took what Edward said a minute to sink in. Slowly Jacob stopped grinning, started frowning and then started to lightly shake.

"Mike is going to get mauled." Jacob whispered . Edward nodded. Reneseme looked at Jacob, clearly concerned.

"Reneseme, why don't you go make sure Auntie Alice and Auntie Rosalie's plates' are empty." I suggested, trying to get her out of Mike's view, and hopefully, mind. Renseme made a face. I could see an image of her chasing down a deer. Her lithe body lunging and taking the deer down in a second.

"I know, the food isn't that good, but please do this for me?" I asked. Renesme sighed.

"Okay, Bella. I will." And she left to go hunt down Alice. I turned to see that Edward had Jacob calmed down a bit.

"It will be fine, Jacob, we will watch Renesme. He won't get near her." Edward reminded him. Jacob still snarled.

"We should still rip his arm off, just in case." He whispered.

"That would cause people to stare." I joked. Jacob relaxed. I patted Jacob's arm and noticed that his shaking had calmed down. "Now, let's go meet people. We need to see like friendly people." I whispered. Jacob laughed and Edward wrapped his arm around my waist.

The people of Marks are just about as exciting as the people of Forks. The kids were all separated in to cliques. Some kids genuinely looked intrigued by the ten new people walking around. We met the other new family. A man and woman with two little boys. The man was going through some financial troubles, and wanted to get away from the fast paced Phoenix area. His wife wasn't as excited about the move, but was reassured by the fact that Marks was a temporary stop. The boys looked to be about two or three. I smiled. Technically, Reneseme was only a year older than the boys. Carol and her friends were still avoiding us. I noticed that they all looked strangely darker. I then noticed that one girl was wearing flip flops and her pale toes stuck out from under her jeans. They were all wearing bronzer, to help them look darker. Their faces, arms and necks were covered. Their darkend skin made ours look almost white. I could see that the girls were watching us. There were six girls total. Cheerleaders, obviously. Carol was the one in charge of the conversation.

"They are all strange." She grumbled.

"But look how pretty they all are." One girl marveled, "The brown haired guy is hot." Edward smiled as he noticed my annoyance.

"Now you know how I felt." He whispered. I nodded and looked up at the group of girls. Mrs. Ogdon had walked over to the girls and insisted that they go talk to us. Carol led the way.

"Hello, again." She said, trying to sound like she wanted to talk to us. "These are my friends," She began naming them, but I didn't care to remember their names.

"My name is Bella." I replied, trying to be diplomatic. "This is Edward, and Jacob." I pointed off toward the others. "That one is Emmet, and there's Rosalie. Alice is the dark haired girl and Jasper is the blonde next to her, and the girl over there is Renesme." I looked around, I had pointed out everyone. One girl had become brave and she stepped out toward us. She stuck her hand out to shake, and I took it.

"Are you okay? You're hands are freezing." She looked suspicious.

"Oh, I was holding a soda just a minute ago." I pointed toward the table. She seemed to accept this answer.

" So are you all, like related?" A different girl asked.

"No, Jasper and Rosalie are siblings and Bella and Reneseme are cousins. But other than that, we are just adopted." Edward had spoken up. The girl's face flashed green with envy for a second when Edward took my hand.

"I don't remember you from yesterday, are you adopted too?" Carol asked looking towad Jacob, who looked like he wanted to go to Reneseme.

"Oh, uh. No. I'm visiting them from Forks. I uh, wanted to see them before they started school up." The girls seemed to enjoy Jacob acting nervous. I was enjoying Jacob squirming a little too much. That's when I smelled it. It was a smell that reminded me of Forks. I had a flashback of my old high school in Forks. The scent over powered me. It made me homesick. Maybe someone had on a perfume that someone in Forks had. I had the urge to seek out the smell.

"I am going to go get a drink, all right?" I dropped Edward's hand. He looked up puzzled.

"Would you like me to accompany you?" He asked, trying to sound conversational, yet worry showing through.

"No, it's fine. I wanted to also check on the others." I tried my hardest to sound like there was nothing wrong. He nodded and joined in in the conversation with Carol and the others. I walked toward the drink table and noticed that the smell was getting stronger. I tried not to look like I was hunting. I did not want my family to think that I was going to pounce on a human. I saw Mrs. Ogden talking to a lady with brown hair. She had her back to me. She was the smell. The smell was so familure and alluring. I must know her from somewhere. Maybe she was related to someone in Forks. I slowly made my way to them.

"Carol is such a wonderful student, you will love her in your classroom." Mrs Ogdon was telling a story of Carol. Mrs. Ogdon noticed me. "And here comes another student of yours. She's going to be a sophmore, like my Carol. This is Isabella Cullen." Mrs. Ogdon beamed.

"It's Bella Swan." I corrected. The lady kept her back to me.

"Bella?" The voice held a tone of recognition. I knew that voice as well. The lady turned her body around to face me. I knew that face. It was…

"Angela?"

Thanks again for all the suportive reviews. I will try to get the third chapter out in a week.


	3. Chapter 3

I finally finished writing Chapter three. Thank you, Human Vampyre, I overlooked the fact that Renesemee had two 'e's in her name. I think, with out further adieu, Chapter three.

Chapter three: Angela

"Angela?" I asked, incredulous. I felt the world spin. I couldn't feel my legs and I knew that if I wasn't pale all ready, I would be as white as a sheet now.

"You know Bella, Ms. Weber?" Mrs. Ogdon asked. Angela looked just as surprised to see me there as I did her.

"Y-yes, she was in my freshman class last year when I was student teaching." Angela sputtered. I looked at her in amazement. She lied for me. She saved us from having to move so fast.

"Well, what a coincidence." Mrs. Ogdon beamed. She was buying Angela's lie. "Well I bet you two have a lot of talking to do." And with that, Mrs. Ogdon was gone. She was hunting Eseme, no doubt. Angela looked at me again. I could see she was trying to word her questions.

"I-I can't believe you're here." She finally managed. " I wished I had a friend here, and well, here you are."

"You wished me here? We had planned on moving for weeks. How is it that no one knew you were coming here?"

"I wanted to disappear." Angela replied, flatly. We walked farther away from the group of people. I tried to keep the conversation quiet. Renesemee had seen us and started toward us.

"Bella, Jacob wants to go see the movie soon. Who is this?" Renesemee bounded up. Angela looked at her and seemed to look like she understood.

"Renesemee, this is Miss Weber, Miss Weber, this is Renesemee, my cousin." Renesemee smiled at her and said hi.

"So, Bella, Jacob wants to know when we can leave. I asked Edward, but he said to ask you."

"We'll leave soon." She smiled and went to go tell Jacob the good news. I looked up at Angela and smiled. "If you'd like to go with us, we're going to see that new movie about vampires I think the name of the movie is "Blood ties" or something like that. It was Jacob's idea. It could be fun." I knew I should be wary of Angela and making plans with the Cullens to move.

"Vampires? Bella, you never seemed the type to like movies like that. But being around the Cullen's seems to have changed a lot about you." She took in my looks.

"Yes, a lot has changed, being with the Cullens." I answered.

"May I ask the obvious questions?" She looked over to the rest of the Cullens, who were busy chatting with each other.

"Probably not." I smiled.

"Renesemee has your eyes and Edward's features. She's beautiful." Angela sounded dreamy.

"Thank you."

"You probably better leave. They are waiting on you." She looked back to the family. "They don't really remember me."

"That's probably in my favor. Edward hasn't looked over here yet, has he?" Angela shook her head. I stretched my shield around her. If I can keep Edward from reading her mind, we might be able to at least see the movie before we move. " How about if I try to visit you tonight, after the movie?"

"That sounds great." Angela beamed. " This city is boring." I laughed. She was right. Marks was boring. "Do you need my address?"

"No, I'll find you." That comment came out as a threat. I really meant for it to sound casual. "I mean,"

"I know what you mean." She smiled. I quickly turned and went to the group. They were relieved to see me there. We were going to visit the neighboring city to catch the movie. Carlisle and Esme did not get away so lucky. The Ogdon's wanted them to stay and chat. We quickly got in the cars and were gone.

Once we made it to the movie theater, we decided who was going to sit where. It was Rosalie and Emmet, then Jasper and Alice, me and Edward, Renesemee and Jacob. It really didn't matter where we sat. The movie theater was practically empty. A romantic comedy came out this weekend, and this movie has been out for about three weeks. We all sat through the previews laughing about the Ogdons.

"They're so weird." Rosalie complained. " That girl glared at me, what a loser." Emmet cheered her on.

"I bet they are thinking the same thing about us." I replied. Edward agreed.

"I THINK this movie is going to be stupid. If Jacob wasn't here, I might be able to tell you exactly." Alice mumbled.

" You don't need to be psychic to know that this Hollywood version of how Vampires are is going to be stupid." Rosalie laughed.

"There might be something in here that's true." Jacob retorted.

"They should make a movie about us." Emmet added. "That would be awesome!"

"They'd get it all wrong, Emmet." Edward pointed out. "They'd make us look like monsters. PETA would probably come after us for hurting animals instead of humans."

"We just can's win." Jasper laughed.

"Shh, guys. The movie is starting." Renesemee urged. We sat there during the first part. I just watched. I wasn't a big fan of scary movies. This story wasn't so bad. It was about a female vampire falling in love with a, surprise surprise, human male. The coven was wrong. They made it look like there were hundreds of vampires in a little cave type dwelling. The vampires were monsters with ugly features, sharp fangs and scary nails. Only a few of the females were pretty.

"I could take them." Emmet mumbled. Rosalie nudged him to be quiet. Renesemee kept flashing pictures to Edward and me. The images held scenes from the movie with the ugly vampires thrashing through humans and fighting each other, then she would show and image of us in the living room sitting around, or hunting. I could feel the confusion in her pictures.

"It's not real, hunny." Edward soothed. "We're not monsters." He whispered. It almost sounded like he was saying that for his sake, rather than hers. Then an old vampire came onto the screen and was calming down some of the fighting. It was Marcus.

"That's wrong, he'd make it worse." Jasper argued. Then another came behind him, his name was Caius.

"Two names out of like, a hundred. That's not too bad for Hollywood." Alice grumbled. Jacob looked to be enjoying himself. He kept his arm around Renesemee.

"I'll protect you." He comforted. Renesemee laughed.

"If they came out for a fight. You'd be protecting the enemy. It's I who should be protecting you." She flashed Jacob a grin.

Finally, the movie ended. The vampire bit the guy and miraculously, he turned into a vampire just like her. It took less than an hour. There was no mention of burning or searing pain that still seems to be vibrant in my memory four years later. We walked out of the theater grumbling. Jacob seemed elated. This was like the ultimate joke on the vampires. Take them to a vampire movie and watch them correct the entire show.

"Next time we take Jacob to a movie about Werewolves." I grumbled.

"I was thinking a shape shifter movie, like the Shaggy Dog." Edward followed up behind me and put his hand on my back. Watching a depressing movie like that really brought me down.

We reached the house in record time. We were trying to figure out where to let Jacob sleep. Rosalie offered him a blanket a clothes basket and a chew toy near the laundry room, and Emmet offered to make him a dog house outside. Finally, we came to the decision that Jacob could sleep in Edward's and my bedroom, since we were the only other ones with an actual bed. Tomorrow we would go buy a bed for Jacob and he could sleep in the basement when he visited. I wasn't worried about Jacob being only a few doors down from Renesmee, but Edward still seemed apprehensive.

"If he DID want to try something, he would still be in a house full of non sleeping, super hearing, lighting fast vampires that all ready find him annoying. The poor guy would probably hold it for a week for fear of one of us attacking him when he opens a door." I smiled at Edward and lifted my shield so that he could see my thoughts. I thought of poor Jacob coming out of the room to go to the bathroom and getting sidelined by Rosalie. Edward laughed.

"I'll make sure to leave him a glass of water. I want to see that." He grinned evilly. "It would almost be worth the time it is going to take us to get the dog smell out of our comforter." Edward made a face. He quickly composed himself and we walked downstairs together. "Are we going hunting again tonight?" He asked hopefully.

"Maybe later. I promised to go help our new neighbors with their house work." I lied. It wasn't exactly a lie. I just left out that I knew her from my past life at Forks.

"You're visiting our teacher to be." Alice looked up. "I can't see her face, but I know she's the new teacher." Alice looked saddened. " I must be losing my edge. My visions just keep getting blurrier. First Jacob, then Renesemee and now this."

"Alice, I'm sure it's fine." I reassured her. "And I promised to stop by." I explained. Edward nodded. He was so trusting.

"I'll go hunting with Emmet and Jasper. We haven't hunted in a long time together." He kissed me and I walked out to the garage to get my car.

I was quickly sniffing the air, looking for Angela's scent. I picked it up and was at her house in no time. She lived in a small, two room house. It was far enough out that she didn't have close neighbors, yet she was only a few minutes from the Wal-mart. I knocked on the door.

"Come in Bella." She called. I walked in a found her place to be slightly messy. There were boxes in all of the rooms. This is what our house should have looked like. Except that we don't sleep and move at lightning speed. Angela was holding open one of the doors to her cabinet, that was over her head. She was teetering on a chair, fairly precariously. "Bella, could you get the U –Haul box in the dining room for me?" I looked at the boxes. There were two. It was a fifty fifty chance. I picked one up and headed to the kitchen to help. I quickly carried the box over and lifted it over my head to hand it to her. She looked at the box and then at me.

"Can you hold that for a minute or is that too heavy?" She asked. I smiled. It was never too heavy.

"No, I'm fine." I said, no sense of strain in my voice. She stepped down from the chair and motioned for me to set the box down on the kitchen counter. I did as she motioned.

"That," She said, pulling off the tape on the box, "Is all of my books for English. It's a good two hundred pounds. Yet you had no trouble lifting it." I looked at her and took a step back. "You and the Cullens are very special." She added. "Even Renesemee, who is not exactly like you." She looked controlled, yet weary. She was just minutes from piecing together what we were.

"We're going to have to move again." I said, I tried to make it sound like I was okay with the idea, but sadness was peeking through my voice.

"Why? Why can't I know?" Angela demanded. I walked to the living room and sat on her couch. What was the point in hiding everything now? If we leave fast enough she shouldn't be harmed.

"The Voultri will know, and if they find out you know about us…" I sighed. So much for life in Marks.

"The Voultri?" She thought for a second, as if checking a book in her mind. Her eyes lit up with surprise, "Your family is a coven of vampires?" I was taken back. She guessed that really quick and the Voultri is never mentioned to humans.

"How did you know about the Voltri and vampires?" I asked. She looked like she had been caught.

"I saw it in the new vampire movie." Her voice sounded like it was covering a lie.

"The Voultri is never mentioned in a vampire movie." She looked caught. She sighed, and joined me on the couch.

"I have my secrets too. I have been studying vampires and other mythical creatures the last four years."

"They teach you about monsters in your secondary education classes?" That is incredulous. I laughed. She soon joined me in the laughter.

"No, I never went to college to be a teacher. I took the Praxis and passed for English, drama, and history. Also, due to an unseen loophole, I was certified to teach in all fifty states." She smiled with satisfaction, "I have a tendency to have things go my way." Her words struck me. I remember someone saying that. My mind raced. Jasper had said something like that not too long ago.

"Witches have an uncanny ability to get things to go their way." I mumbled. Angela looked up stunned. I immediately knew it was true."You're a witch?!" as soon as the words left my mouth, my mind took be back to an argument between Edward and me. He was arguing that Jacob was a mortal enemy. And I told that that I didn't care who was a werewolf or vampire. Then I remember shooting back.

"If Angela turns out to be a witch, then she can join the party too." I smiled. I must have been psychic. She looked nervous.

"I knew the Cullens were different. But they didn't fit the textbook styles of a vampire. Your eyes are gold, not red." She paid close attention.

"We're vegetarians." I said with a bit of dry humor. She looked confused. "We don't live off of the blood of humans. We only hunt animals. It turns our eyes gold." I added. She nodded.

"Are witches and vampires enemies?" I didn't want to fight with Angela, like I had with Jacob. "Like the werewolves?" Angela shook her head.

"Witches try to stay out of the fights between everyone. We're like Quakers. We observe, but we try to stay out of it all, but when we do fight, we always win. We're not like vampires or werewolves. We are still fairly destructible." I quietly smelled the air. It was true, she smelled like a human. There was nothing to distinguish her smell from anyone elses in Marks. " When we reach a certain age, we stop aging. We can live for quite a while, but we still die." It was odd how we had opened up and started explaining our strange lives to each other. It was almost like we were explaining our college lives, comparing my college to hers.

"You stop aging also? Does any magical creature age?" I asked out loud.

"Not many. But I do age. I will age until about thirty five or so then I slow to a stop. It helps us blend in better." I had to admit, aging for a while might have helped us blend in. A family of seven teenage vampires drew some attention.

"What powers do witches possess?" I asked. She thought over the best way to explain.

"We're not like werewolves that characteristically have brute strength, and anger, nor are we like vampires with speed, agility and an undeniable thirst. We have different strengths and weaknesses. I have the ability to blend in. If I don't want to be found, I won't be. I can also move smaller things with my mind." As if on cue, a pepsi can started to float toward me. It stopped just inches from my hand. "Would you care for a drink?"

I grinned, mainly to show off my white teeth, "I don't drink Pepsi, remember?" Angela laughed.

"Sorry, I forgot." And the Pepsi can gently plopped on the table. "I would be like a spy." She added. "I report to the council, if I find anything suspicious. Back in Forks, right before college was supposed to start. I was assigned my first mission. I was to keep an eye on Forks. There was some paranormal activity going on outside of the town. Tension between mythical creatures. But no humans seemed to be harmed. The witch council said that Forks had a lot of paranormal activity."

"That would be us." I raised my hand as if I was in her class. "Four years ago, the Voultri came to attack and destroy Renesemee. They don't like the fact that she is half human and half vampire." Angela eyed me after my statement.

"So Renesemee is yours. That explains her looks and her complexion. She's not near as pale as the rest of you." She stood up and walked over to her books. "Since you are here, could you help me take these books to my library? They are awfully heavy." I smiled at her and followed her to help pick up her books. While I was helping her sort through her books for the upcoming year I listened to her talk about her council. She explained that they made sure that humans were unaware of the mythical creatures. It was one thing for me to find out that my boyfriend was a vampire. It was quite another for a reputable newspaper to post a picture of a werewolf in Central Park. She was the eyes and ears of the area. She was also on the council for damage control for the western side of the United States.

"Will your family have to move if I know your secret? I can help protect them." She asked. I really did miss Angela. She was my best 'human' friend. The thought of Angela, sweet normal Angela, as a witch was strange. Did Forks have any normal people?

"I'm not sure. I'll ask Alice if she sees us moving in the immediate future." I looked over at Angela and she looked shocked.

"Alice can see the future? I didn't know vampires had special powers."

"Yes, A lot of us have heightened senses." I replied. " Jasper can control feelings, and he can tell the atmosphere of a room. Edward can read minds, Reneseme can show you her thoughts, and I'm a shield. I can keep people from reading my mind or messing with my mind."

"The council tries to keep a distance from vampires. They have the Voultri to make sure that the vampires stay hidden. We never knew that vampires had special powers." She looked genuinely intrigued.

"Maybe tomorrow you could meet them. You're not a threat, and the Voultri should not mind if you know." I secretly wanted Angela to be apart of my new life also.

"Great! I have an interview with a vampire!" And with that we both laughed.

I will have Chapter four out in about a week. Thank you for all the really nice reviews so far. . Keep up the reviews.


	4. Chapter 4

All right, This chapter was long and is kind of a filler. It is needed, but long. So just a warning. Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews. Oh and as we all know, I own none of the characters.

Chapter 4. The talk.

I had so many questions for Angela. My head was spinning. But I knew it was getting late. If I was out much longer Edward would come looking for me.

"Angela, I better go. How about if you come by my house in the morning?" I looked at the door. If Edward started hunting for me, how long would it take him to follow me here? I really needed to give the Cullens a warning about Angela before they meet her. She looked like she understood.

" All right. I will see you around nine or so." She beamed. I took that as my cue. I smiled and I dashed out of her door.

I was home in no time. I parked my car and dashed into the house. It was only a little after midnight. I had beaten the boys back from their hunting trip. How they could hunt so early I will never know. I was refreshed and the thought of thirst was so light, it was almost ignorable. Eseme's insistence that we all hunt before the picnic was a great idea. The picnic. It seems like the picnic was weeks ago. I walked into the living room and saw the back of Alice's head bobbing to some music video playing on MTV. I walked passed her.

" I see we're having a visitor tomorrow." She stated, still bobbing her head to the music.

"Uh, yeah. The new teacher." I was going to tell the family when they are all here.

"Why can't I see who she is? I can see everything except her face." Alice pouted. I knew it was devastating for her to not see the future as clearly as she used to before Jacob.

"Uh, she's different." I tried to explain without telling her but I noticed that it wasn't working. "Can you keep this a secret from Edward? I don't want him to know just yet." Alice turned her head and her eyes lit up. She loved keeping secrets from Edward.

"I can keep a secret! What is it?" She was practically bouncing. She turned her whole body on the couch to face me.

"The new teacher is someone we know." I started. She stopped bouncing and tilted her head, she looked confused.

"We don't know anyone in Marks yet." She was searching her mind for clues.

"The teacher is new to Marks. It's Angela Weber." I had drawn out the suspicion long enough. Alice thought for a second. Her eyes shined with recognition.

"Angela?! The girl I sat next to at lunch in Forks?" I nodded. She clapped. "She's such a nice person! She'll make a great teacher and…." She stopped short. She started to understand why Angela wouldn't be a good teacher for us.

"We have to move." She stated blankly. I could tell she was upset with the idea. But she made a face. "I don't see us moving. Are my visions going away?" She was not enjoying the lack of clarity.

"Angela is, well, different." I saw Alice give me a look telling me to go on, "She's a witch." Alice let it sink in for a second and then a huge grin spread across her face.

"That's why we don't have to move!" She bounced. " I don't know anything about witches, but it would have to be okay." She was obviously excited about not having to move.

"Okay, just remember to keep this a secret from Edward, just until later in the day."

"8:05 AM right?" She smiled. I knew she was right. "When I know what I'm looking for, my visions become clearer." Then she looked up to second floor of the house. "As long as Jacob stays out of my way." She mumbled.

It was 8 AM. I had figured out how I was going to explain Angela to everyone. Jacob had just come down the stairs to join us for 'breakfast'. Renesemee and Jacob were the only ones that ate 'human' food. Renesemee still enjoyed hunting, but she would have to settle for eggs and bacon.

"I invited the new teacher to visit us today." I blurted out. It grew silent. The only sound was the sound of the bacon frying. The family looked at me as if I had grown a heartbeat and another leg.

"I wanted you all to meet her." I added. "She knew us from Forks." I instantly wished I had picked a different way to explain Angela. The family was shocked and then quickly all at once they began to speak.

"When do we move?"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

" Bella, didn't you realize this is dangerous?" I raised my hands to quiet them down.

"It's Angela Weber, she went to school with us." Edward immediately knew who I was speaking of. Jasper, Rosalie and Emmet didn't seem to remember her.

"I don't think Angela will be a problem for us. She's a witch." There was a pause. Then slowly it sunk in.

"A real witch?" Jasper spoke the words slowly, he was taking in the words but not the semantics of the words.

" Is she dangerous?" Esme looked around at her family. She was obviously worried about us.

"No, according to Angela, witches are destructible, and she knows very little about us." Everyone seemed to relax, except Alice and Jacob, who weren't worried in the first place.

"I've never met a witch before, have you Carlisle?" Rosalie looked over at Carlisle.

"Just look in a mirror, blondie." Jacob shot. I smiled and Edward was fighting off laugh. The rest of the family looked like they were trying to laugh through the tense time. Rosalie glared at Jake.

"I hope she uses you for a potion." She replied, then turned her attention back to Carisle. "Have you ever met one?" Carlisle thought for moment. He was figuring out how to word his reply.

"When I spent some time with the Voultri, they were listening to the pleas of the witches. It was around the time of the English witch hunts. While many innocent humans were being killed, the ignorant villagers did manage to get quite a few real witches and burn them. Their leaders came to the Voultri seeking a place to hide. The Voultri blamed the witch hunts on careless witches that reveiled themselves to humans. We did not want to be exposed by the same witches, so we denied them help. They looked like humans and smelled like humans, yet we never thought of attacking them. They came into our city alone, and left unscathed." Carlisle said the last part quieter, as if he just noticed this. Jasper kept calming down the atmosphere around us and keeping the area serene.

" I think Angela will help us keep our secret in Marks." I started, "She may be quite a bit of help when it comes to Renesemee and me starting school." Just then we all heard the familiar crunch of gravel. Angela's car was pulling down our driveway.

"looks like our witch is on her way." Emmet smiled. Edward and I rushed outside to meet her at the driveway. She had a modest Toyota. It blended in with the cloudy sky. She parked and stepped out of her car.

"Hello." I walked up to her she smiled at us.

"Hi, Bella. Edward! You haven't aged a day." The familiar greeting made me giggle.

" I know." Edward's mouth twitched in a smile, "Angela, you look as lovely as ever." Edward started to lead the way.

"They are all very curious about you." Edward directed his comment to Angela. "We've never really met a witch before." She blushed.

I'm also very curious about you too. I'm the first witch to actually talk to a vampire in decades."

When we walked in the house, Carlisle and Esme were stationed near the stairs. Alice and Jasper were sitting on the stairs, arms intertwined, and Rosalie and Emmet were sitting on the couch. Renesemee and Jacob were seated on the floor near the TV. It was our practiced pose. The pose that we took when we had company. We had staged it and practiced it for hours, so that it would look casual. Edward and I belonged in the kitchen, sitting at the table doing homework, reading, or just chatting. Angela walked up to Carlisle and Esme and extended her hand.

"Thank you for letting me visit Mr. and Mrs. Cullen." She shook Carlisle's hand and Esme hugged her.

"It's nice to meet you dear." Esme sang. "We have so many questions for you." Esme ushered Angela into the living room and offered her a seat on the couch. Angela sat next to Rosalie and Emmet. I felt a wave of comfort flow throughout the house. It was good to know that Jasper wasn't going to try and intimidate Angela into telling us about her life.

"We must warn you, Rosalie and Emmet have a lot of restraint, but Jasper still struggles with our vegetarian diet. It is not wise to sit close to him." Edward warned. Angela glanced up at Jasper, who had joined us near the couch. The whole family was around the couch near Angela. She smiled.

"If I remember my studies correctly, I smell like a human, but I do not appeal to anyone. I don't smell edible." She stated. I sniffed the air, as did the rest of the Cullens. It was true, she smelled human, but her being so close did not make me thirsty.

"And if I remember correctly," Angela pulled out an opened safety pin from her pocket. Edward was next to her in an instant.

"No!" he grabbed her hand. She looked up shocked. Edward's speed still surprised her.

"It should be fine." She tried to calm him.

"That's in theory. We don't know anything about each other, what if you're wrong?" Edward did not release her arm. She looked at him. He dropped her arm, and it went limp.

"Like I was saying, if I do this," And with that she pricked her finger on the safety pin. A drop of blood rose to the surface. We all held our breath, with fear. I was so frightened that I would lunge at Angela and kill her. I took Edward's arm. He looked at everyone, who apparently was trying not to smell or notice the blood.

"It's all right," He assured us. " You won't hurt her." We all took a breath, and that's when we smelled it. It smelled of garlic and hot rotting chicken. I couldn't help but to gag. I looked over at Renesemee and Jacob. They were both covering their faces. The smell must have been as strong for them as it was for us. Everyone looked disgusted.

"What is that?" Emmet choked. Angela smiled.

"That's our defense mechanism. Even at their angriest, a vampire will think twice before they bite us." Angela pulled out a band-aid and covered her finger. The smell started to dissipate.

"That's why the Voultri didn't attack the witches that visited them in Volterra." Carlisle added. Angela nodded.

"During the witch hunt?" she asked. Carlisle gave her a nod. " Yes, witches live for hundreds of years, but to find a witch over three hundred is rare. The witch hunts was a mass genocide of us." She sighed. "We never found out who exposed us."

"So, is your massive stench your only power against vampires?" Emmet asked. Rosalie shot him a look. Angela looked over at him and grinned.

"No, witches can also turn vampires human." Angela grinned evilly. Edward's head instantly shot up to Rosalie's face. I followed his gaze. Rosalie looked shocked, and thrilled. Angela noticed our gaze too, and must have guessed what Rosalie was thinking. "No, a vampire being turned into a human is a bad thing." She emphasized bad. Rosalie looked angry.

"How would being turned human be bad?" She asked. Angela sighed

"The only one that would not be hurt would be Bella." When she noticed that we didn't understand, she looked at Edward. "Edward, when were you born? What year?"

"1901." He replied. She nodded.

"If Edward was turned human, his body would rapidly age to be a hundred and eight years old. He would wrinkle, and fall apart in a matter of seconds. But Bella would turn twenty three. She would not be harmed." Angela looked up Rosalie, as did I. She looked like a starved cat that watched the last mouse run into a hole.

"So, what if one of us DID bite you?" Jasper asked, changing the subject.

"From what I read, we would be hurt from the bite, but we are immuned to your venom. You could tear us apart, but you couldn't turn us into a vampire."

"Do you know spells? Like the from the movies?" Renesemee asked. Angela smiled.

"No. Witches can do spells, but I'm still very new. I don't know them. I am not powerful enough to turn you human. The spells that witches do are different for each witch. It's how you want and ask for things that make it a spell." She looked at us and noticed that none of us were following her. "Let me try again. Witches Do use spells. But the spells are different for different witches. It has to do with their thoughts more than what they say. And secondly, I can't do spells yet, I am new. So, I can do small things like levitating small items or getting what I want, within reason." She looked at all of us, and let her eyes rest on Jacob.

"He's not a vampire." She stated. We all knew who she was talking about.

"No, Jacob's different." Carlisle added. Rosalie smirked.

"He's one of the Quileute's from Forks?" Jacob looked up from Renesemee, who he was still sitting beside. "That makes him a shapeshifter." Jacob looked impressed.

"You knew I wasn't a werewolf?"

"Yes, werewolves are driven by hunger and destruction, yet when the wolves started showing up in Forks, noone got hurt. That led me to believe that you were shapeshifters. But there is something I don't understand." She looked at Jacob.

"Only one thing?" He asked incredulous.

"Yes, for the time being. The Quileute's hated the Cullens. You told us that at the beach, yet here you are. Why don't you dislike them?"

"We were enemies, but I liked Bella, and Bella loved Edward." Jacob admitted, "So to be around Bella, I had to learn to be around Edward and his family. And hold my breath, these blood suckers stink." He gave his obnoxious grin. "Then Renesemee was born…" He stopped there. Renesemee was sending him images. It was obvious by the look on his face.

" You imprinted on the half vampire girl?" Angela breathed. She had placed the puzzle together.

"Yes, he did." Edward locked his jaw. "So that is how we all formed this little family." Angela looked amused.

"The paranormal seems to stalk you." She laughed. We all joined in. Angela looked over at me and she smiled.

"You have a lovely family." I nodded.

"And I still get to see Charlie, from time to time. When he isn't too busy."

"It sounds like you have everything."

"I do." I replied. She shifted in her seat. I noticed that none of us had really moved since we gathered around her. I moved in my seat also.

"When were you turned?" She asked.

"I was officially bit four years ago, on September 10th, after Renesemee was born." Renesemee looked up, hearing her name mentioned and looked over at Angela. Suddenly, Angela's body froze. I could tell Renesemee was sending her images. Angela had the same far away look that Alice possessed when she was receiving an image. After a moment, Angela shook her head and looked around at everyone, she centered her sights on Renesemee.

"Thank you Renesemee."

"You're welcome, Ms. Weber." Renesemee's voice rang. Angela noticed that we were looking at her.

"She showed me when she was born, and how you were turned." Angela looked uneasy.

" Women usually brag that if they survive child birth, then they can survive anything." I started, "I can now survive anything, because of child birth." I smiled. Rosalie and Emmet walked upstairs. They had heard the story of Renesemee a million times.

"Renesmee is quite special." She mused. Angela then turned her attention to Alice. "And you can see the future?"

"Conditionally." Alice's voice rang. "The future can change. But I can see what is going to happen, as long as no one changes their mind. Or if Jacob stays out of the way." Angela looked at Alice confused.

"I can't see Jacob's future. It's a blur. So if Jacob gets around the others, I can't see their future either." Alice scowled. She looked at Jasper and smiled. "And Jasper can control emotions. It helps the stress level in this house stay low." She smiled.

"Yes, that's right, Angela." Edward replied. I turned to see him by my side looking at Angela. " I can read your thoughts." She blushed. And Edward fought back a smile. "It was awkward at Forks for a while, reading everyone's thoughts. But it wasn't Lauren or Jessica that angered me, it was that vile Mike Newton's thoughts that got to me." I always got a tad bit annoyed with Edward's one sided verbal conversations he could have with people. It was like listening in on a telephone conversation. Angela looked over to me.

"Bella, I had better prepare to leave. School starts in two days and I need to assemble my classroom. Would you all like to help me?" I knew it would be fun to help put a classroom together with Angela, but I promised Renesemee and Alice I would go shopping.

"I would love to, but we need to get school clothes." Angela smiled.

"I almost forgot, You are my students! This should be fun."

"Not all of us will be your students. Emmet and Rosalie won't make it into your classes." Alice confirmed.

"That sounds all right." Was it that obvious that Emmet was a trouble starter? It must have been.

"Don't forget Bella, we have a date tonight with Mr. Jenks." Jasper reminded. Edward tensed. He didn't like being left out of anything. Especially a 'date'.

"Don't worry, Jasper, I won't forget." We stood up and Angela started to walk to the door. She thanked Carlisle and Esme, and called up a thank you to Rosalie and Emmet. The rest of us followed her out to her car. Just before she got in, she turned around.

"Bella, do you all think it would be all right if I told the head counsel about you and your family?" I looked to the others to get their confirmation. Alice smiled.

"I think it would be all right, she seems like a nice lady, and she will want to meet us. She won't harm us."

"That's great. I will contact her when I get home." She got into her car and left. We watched her leave. It was Jasper who broke the silence.

"I think I'll call you when it gets close to time for us to leave, so Alice will be able to drive you home." Alice looked at Jasper, and gave him an evil smile.

"You can just tell her when you need to leave. You guys are coming with us." Edward and Jacob gave a look of misery and I felt the atmosphere drop into a depressing ring around us.

"Stop sulking Jasper!" Alice scolded. "We all could use some new clothes, this is Renesemee's first school, don't you want her to look her best, Edward?" Alice gave him a pout. Edward rolled his eyes.

"Not really, the less guys stare and think of her, the better."

"That's not going to happen and I know I'm going to win this conversation, so save me the time and get into the car." She demanded. "You too Jacob. You start that technical school soon and you need to look your best also." Jacob whined, but got into my car with Renesemee. I felt a little better about shopping with Alice, since Edward would be there to help control her. There was no actual controlling Alice, but at least I won't be the only one to face her wrath. And a bonus, after a few hours Jasper and I can leave and the rest of them can stay shopping for a few more hours. The atmosphere changed to a happier one. Jasper must have thought about us getting to leave the rest of the group to face Alice alone.

All right that is all for now. The next chapter will be up in a week or so. I'm doing pretty good about keeping it one chapter per week. The next chapter will talk about Jenks and the first day of school. I love reviews and I like suggestions. I have a loose outline as to how the story is going to go, but details are fun also.


	5. Chapter 5

I was going to include the Cullen's first day of school in this one, but I decided that it would be too long. So I left it short. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! READ AND REVIEW!

~*~

Chapter 5: Mr. Kay.

Shopping with Alice wasn't so bad. She insisted that we drive to the closest mall, that had more than a Sears or Macy's. So we ended up driving over an hour. When we arrived at the mall, Alice made a quick schedule of what we were to shop for.

"Why didn't the others join us?" Renesmee wondered aloud.

"Carlisle started work today. Esme was joining Mrs.. Ogdon in her Book Club set up. And Rosalie informed me that she didn't need my help getting clothes. Then there is Emmet. Last time we went shopping together, he arranged the mannequins into, imaginative positions." Alice grimaced at the memory of Emmet rushing the mannequins into the main hall of the store. "I had never been kicked out of a store until then." Alice shuffled us into the first store. It was a teen store. DEBS. It sold junior girls clothes. Alice grabbed Renesmee and started finding shirts and pants that matched purses and shoes. She then had Renesmee in a dressing room before the poor girl knew she was even looking at an outfit. The associate kept insisting that it was 6 items or less in the dressing room. This didn't slow Alice down too much, but caused her to be irritated.

"Only 4 hours until we get to leave." Jasper muttered. I smiled at him. Edward and I found a bench near the dressing rooms. Edward brushed his fingers against the back of my neck and then started to play with a few locks of my hair. It made my whole body tingle. I shut my eyes. Even as a vampire, Edward had the ability to dazzle me.

"Do you think I would look good with shorter hair?" I asked Edward, nonchalantly, "I was contemplating on having it cut." Edward stopped playing with my hair.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Our hair doesn't grow as fast as others."

"How fast does it grow?" I inquired.

"It doesn't."

"It doesn't?" I asked. He shook his head.

"For the first year, it will grow a little. I once heard Carlisle tell someone that your hair will grow a little bit after you die. That is why none of us have stylized hair cuts, except for Alice."

"Has Alice's hair always been that short?" I looked over at Alice. She turned around.

"Since I woke. I cut it a little to even it out. But my hair has always been short. The fifties and sixties were a hard time." She made a face. "Long hair trends." She went back to picking out outfits for Renesmee.

The next store was a men's clothing store. Alice had Renesmee and me help her pick out clothes for Edward and Jacob. She had grabbed a lot of outfits for Jasper and we had the guys trying on our picks. Edward and Jasper liked the outfits we picked for them. Jacob, however, was whining.

"I look gay." He mumbled. Typical Jacob. "These pants look funny."

"But Jake, it's hard to find pants that fit you. You're so tall." Renesmee insisted. Jake relented and got the clothes that Renesmee picked for him. Jake enjoyed casual clothes, but Alice insisted that he needed nice clothes to apply for a job and visit the banks and buy stocks. Since Jacob was going to one day marry Renesmee, Alice insisted that she help Jacob save up enough money to take care of her. She started 'suggesting' which stocks to buy and when he might want to sell them. Soon, Jasper announced that it was time for us to leave. We were going to take my car and Edward, Alice, Renesmee and Jacob were going to ride in Alice's car when she let them leave.

Jasper and I sped away from the mall and toward Seattle. Jasper laughed and made the atmosphere feel light and giddy. He was glad to be away from the shopping spree. We pulled up to the restaurant and the hostess led us to the door of the private room. The hostess kept throwing glances back to Jasper. It was obvious she was stunned by his handsomeness. Jasper ignored her. Before we entered we heard Mr.. Jenks talking to someone. It must have been the new associate.

"..We were about to go out of business when Mr.. Jasper saved us."

"The same guy is still coming to you for passports, after forty years? He must be so old, why would you fear him?" The voice sounded like it belonged to a younger man. He sounded small.

"You'll understand when you meet him. He will also have his Sister in law with him. Remember, do not comment on their pale skin or cold touch. And do not act shocked. They are beautiful." I smiled. Even after four years, it felt strange for people to comment on my looks. "His Sister in Law, Bella, is quite a looker. She has made the transactions with the Cullen account easier for us for four years now." Jasper pushed open the door with ease and we strode in to meet Mr.. Jenks and his partner.

"J, what a pleasure to see you again."I said coyly, gliding into the room. Mr.. Jenks smiled lightly at the informal use of his name. He seemed to almost forget Jasper.

"Mrs.. Cullen, it is always wonderful to see you." He then noticed Jasper's presence. "Mr.. Jasper. It is wonderful to ss-see you too." He stuttered. Jasper smiled.

"Mr.. Jenks." He acknowledged.

"This is my partner, David Kay. Mr.. Kay, this is Jasper Cullen, and his sister in law Bella Cullen.

"Bella Swan." I corrected. I took in Mr.. Kay. He had curly brown hair and looked to be Italian. He had a pointed nose and large eyes. His skin was genetically darker, but due to his lack of sun, pale. He wasn't tall, as I had guessed, and looked sure of himself, until Jasper walked in. Mr.. Kay took my hand and kissed it. The second his lips touched my hand his eyes widened. I could tell he noticed how chilled they were. We quickly set at the table and Mr.. Kay handed me the file. I handed it to Jasper, who studied it quickly.

"This will do." He grumbled. I handed over the rest of the money and the bonus. Jasper has tried to talk me out of the bonus, but I figured with all of the hard times poor Mr.. Jenks had to go through with Jasper, he deserved it. After the money was exchanged, Mr.. Jenks and Mr.. Kay sat down.

"Would you please join us this time for dinner?" Mr.. Jenks was accustomed to us never staying for dinner.

" We would like to stay and talk with Mr.. Kay. To make sure he understands our transactions." Jasper indicated that I should sit. Mr.. Kay paled and Mr.. Jenks looked flabbergasted. Jasper and I sat down. I felt the air around us grow tense. I looked at Jasper and he had his grim smile on. He was trying to scare them.

"Now, I understand that Mr.. Jenks has warned you not to comment on our appearances and I prefer that you didn't comment or tell any one about us." Mr.. Jenks looked like he was going to deny telling Mr.. Kay any of these things, but decided against it. " We have our reasons for our looks." Jasper added fear into the air. " One day, I may send Bella alone to handle some services for me. I want you to display the same courtesy to her. I also must insist that you refrain from trying to contact us or trace us. I will know if you do." Jasper growled the last part. "Now if you don't mind, gentlemen, Bella and I have other engagements to attend to." He offered me a hand and helped me up, in a flash, the chair was pushed back under the table. We quickly strode out of the room and shut the door. Jasper stopped and waited a second. It was Mr.. Kay that spoke first.

"They didn't stay for dinner." Mr.. Jenks sighed.

"You'll learn, they never stay for dinner."

~*~

On to the next Chapter. After thinking about the hair cutting thing. I had a lot of random questions about the Cullens. Questions like, could they wear thick makeup to cover their sparkles in the sun? Would a girl on her period bother them? (I know gross, but you never know.) What if someone got a nosebleed in class and they were stuck there? These are just weird questions that have been plaguing me while I've been thinking about the next chapter. Review and let me know your theories.

Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for all your help with the questions I had in the last chapter. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with those questions. This chapter encompasses the Cullen's first day of school! Yay. I finally got to it. In case you, dear readers, are wondering, I do have it mapped out as to what is going to happen.

Chapter 6. School

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP…

Renesmee's alarm started going off. It was Monday. The first day of school. We had kept her up late last night going over last minute scenarios. No one wanted her to have a lapse in judgement. Even forgetting that she had to only give 20% in gym and still out shine the other students could be disastrous. We had practiced giving volleyball serves as humans and had her hunt, just in case. We had sent Jacob home around noon, so that we could put Renesmee through 'human' boot camp. She had passed. Now, it was six in the morning and her alarm was going off. Edward and I were still lying in bed. We had spend most of the night reminiscing about high school life in Forks.

"So what was the biggest mistake you made in a high school?" I asked him, nuzzling closer. He smiled.

"I fell in love with this one girl at one of my high schools. She was a danger magnet. I almost killed her, a lot." I looked up at his face and he was smiling.

"Do I know her?" I asked.

"No." he laughed. I poked him in the ribs and then heard Renesmee stirring. She was quickly getting dressed. I could hear her taking clothes off of hangers. Alice had preplanned what we were going to wear on our first day here last week, when we finally decided to move. Edward and I were all ready dressed in our outfits and waiting for the official okay to go to school. I heard Alice bounding up the stairs to check on us. She was gushing over Renesmee's outfit. Renesmee's heart was pounding fast.

"Mommy, Daddy, come on. We can't be late for school." Renesmee appeared in front of our door. She walked up and laid on the bed next to me.

"Hunny, the school doesn't even open until seven. We have a little less than an hour to get there." Edward mused. "Now what is the most important thing to remember?" Renesmee thought about if for a second.

"If anyone picks on me, take them to the bathroom and dispose of the body in the ventilation system?" She smiled one of her sweetest smiles. I could not help but laugh.

"You inherited Emmet's sense of humor." I grinned at her. Edward frowned.

" You know that's not the answer." He chided. She sighed.

"I should always remember that I'm different and that if something goes wrong, it's okay we can always move." She had droned that message a million times. She stood up and pulled on my arm to get me out of bed. I took in her outfit. She wore a blue and black plaid pleated skirt. She had on a long sleeve button up white polo with a blue vest over it. She looked as if she belonged in an extremely expensive private school. Edward must have taken in her outfit also, he grimaced. We walked downstairs and noticed that the rest of the family was all ready there. Rosalie and Emmet stood around the couch messing with Emmet's backpack, Alice was messing with Jasper's hair, Esme was checking her purse, and Carlisle was lounging on the couch.

"Take a look at Renesmee! The boys will be following you all day!" Emmet catcalled. "I bet Eddie is going to love that!" Edward glared at Emmet.

"I hope you can shield the entire male population, Bella. Edward looks like he might pop a vein." Rosalie smiled smugly. She loved seeing her brother uneasy.  
Once we made it to the school. We got our papers in order and received our class schedules. We were all in classes with at least one other family member. Renesmee especially. Alice believed that as long as one of us was in a class with her, we could watch her if something did go awry. I read through my schedule again. I was relieved. My lunch hour class was English lit with Ms. Weber. After making sure we all knew where the classes were, we arranged ourselves near our vehicles, and chatted. We didn't want to go into the building too early. It was only 7:15. We observed the students arriving. They all seemed to take note of the shiny new cars that we were centered around, but kept their distance. We heard a roar and turned in time to see Mike Ogdon's black Mustang pull into the parking lot. The car looked nice. But with the keen eyes I had inherited, I could tell the car had been hot rodded around too much. Small cracks in the paint and dings in the car were tell tale signs. He skidded into a parking space not far from our immaculate cars and got out of his car. He was in his realm. He went from funny looking kid at our house to teen God at the school. Girls were eyeing him and his guy friends went to give him high fives and asked about his summer. He made a point to look over at our cars. We then heard a familiar SUV pull in. It was Carol, being driven by Mrs. Ogdon. Mike wouldn't take her to school on the first day. I guessed it was a show of who the real star of the school was. She tried to exit the Toyota fast, but her mother grabbed her hand. She made a motion near us and I saw Carol roll her eyes. She finally left the SUV and walked toward her friends. Her friends were the same girls at the party. They weren't wearing the bronzer this time, but it was obvious that they all spent an extra hour in front of their mirrors this morning to make sure they got their looks perfect. Mike made a bee line to us, his friends tagging along. He quickly picked me to be the one he talked to.

"Hi, I'm Mike Ogdon, remember? My dad works with your dad, er.. foster dad." He was stumbling over his words, he was obviously nervous. "Anyway, if you need someone to help you find your classes or to walk around with. I'm your guy. He made this more notable for the girls than the guys. " I can also save you a seat, if you'd like." I smiled.

"That's nice, Mike, but I think we can find our way around the campus. Some of us may see you at lunch time." Mike and his friends stood near us. One of his friends, a dark haired boy kept staring at Alice. The boy was wearing all black and had a lip piercing. He tried really hard to look pale, and even had a bit of black eyeliner on his eyes. If I had seen this guy in Forks, I would have pegged him for a Vampire, not the Cullens.

"So, my name's Riley, what's yours?" He braved the crowd to look at Alice. She looked over at him and smiled.

"My name's Alice." She smiled uneasily. Jasper tensed up. I felt the atmosphere get dark. I almost felt scared. I looked over at Riley, he was shaking.

"So, er…I… If you, want, you know. Maybe we could.. um sit next to each other at lunch, er never mind. If you don't mind?" The kid looked like he had a gun held to his head. I smiled. Jasper was enjoying this kid's nervousness too much.

"Maybe." Alice said, nonchalantly. The kid backed away. Mike's group stayed a few yards away from us. Carol and her friends walked up to us.

"Look." She started. "My mom wants me to make sure you all feel comfortable and like it here." She looked back at her friends. " Just don't expect me to be your friend or anything like that." And with that quick statement, she breezed by us.

"And we're the monsters?" Renesmee muttered, too quietly for anyone, human, to hear. Rosalie bent over to Renesmee's ear.

"Your Aunt Rosalie will have all of their boyfriend's numbers by lunch time. Want to bet on it, Renesmee?" Renesmee smiled and looked up to Alice.

"Don't take that bet, hun. She's going to win." Alice smiled.

"So this is how we make friends on the first day?" I asked. Emmet nodded. "No wonder you guys sat at your own table in Forks." Jasper turned to me.

"We've never had people come up to us to talk." He looked at Carol's disappearing figure. "Not even when their families forced them to be nice. I wonder what's new about this town?" He looked at Renesmee. He had his answer.

Most of the classes went fast. The teachers went straight into their procedures. Most of the teachers had been in the school for years and assumed everyone knew everyone. We quickly learned when science projects were due, what to expect of the upcoming history class, and what was being covered in the first semester of Trigonometry. It was finally time for my English lit class. It was one of the English classes that was open to all grades. I had begged Renesmee to join with me. She had agreed. Fortunatly, she had inherited my love of books. I followed Renesmee into the class and was disappointed to find that Carol was seated in the classroom. She had her backpack and purse in two other seats. She must be preparing seats for two of her friends. Renesmee picked a seat on the opposite end of Carol. Near the front and near the window. I took a seat beside her. Other kids started flowing into the classroom. Two overly dressy girls bounced in and sat in the seats reserved by Carol. It was kind of funny. Carol and her friends were the dressiest kids in the school and it probably took them two hours to get their hair and makeup to look so flawless, yet Rosalie, Alice, Renesmee and I woke up and came here and we still looked prettier. Finally, Angela walked into the classroom. She had stood outside and greeted us as we walked in. She wrote her name on the board. Then she started passing out papers. The papers had a list of expectations and procedures.

"My name is Ms. Weber, I am your English Lit teacher. We will be having the last lunch of the day." She sounded in control of the class. She smiled at everyone. "Since I'm the new teacher here and I have yet to meet most of you, I want everyone to take a minute and think of their favorite movie, and why, and their favorite book, and why." She let the class think for a while. I looked at Renesmee, she looked like she had made up her mind. "Now I want you to introduce yourself, your name, age, and then tell me about your favorite movie and book." She pointed to the kid, one seat ahead of Carol. He mumbled something about not having a favorite book and liking the new Blood ties movie. I sighed. This was going to be a long school year. Carol had picked "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" and Mean girls. That figured. Slowly each kid introduced them selves and named a movie that was fairly popular, and then named a magazine, teen book, or comic. It was my turn, I stood up.

"I'm Bella Swan. I'm a Sophomore this year. My favorite book is Wuthering Heights. I loved the contrast of the two characters and the I enjoy how as evil as the main characters were, they still had a good quality of loving each other." I surveyed the room, quickly, most of the kids looked like I was speaking Spanish. "And my favorite movie would be City of Angels. I love the idea of forbidden love and giving up everything to be with someone. I also enjoy the idea of someone perfect taking an interest in a human. It's a simplistic, yet hopeful idea." I quickly sat down. The students were still staring. It must have been my voice. I grinned. I remembered Edward's velvety voice, and how it would dazzle me. I am now a dazzler. Soon it was Renesmee's turn. She stood up and looked at the class. She had more confidence than I did.

"I'm Renesmee Swan, I'm a freshman. My favorite book is the complete works of Edger Allen Poe. His poem about Annebel Lee , shows how quickly someone can blame God for something horrible happening. The love of his life died and Poe blamed it on angels envying their love. I don't have a favorite movie, but I love the musical Wicked, Alice took us to see it last summer. It's about the Wicked Witch of the West. It poses the question, Are people born wicked? Or do they have Wickedness thrust upon them? Just because a person is different, it doesn't make them Wicked, and if someone hears that they are wicked for long enough, they start to believe it." Angela beamed at Renesmee. She sat down. I never thought that Renesmee would empathize with the Wicked Witch of the West. I would have to be more careful when telling her that she was different. Angela called the class to attention.

"Now that I have a better understanding of your favorite books, I can narrow down some of the books we are going to read, Oh I almost forgot. My name is Angela Weber, my favorite book of all time is A picture of Dorian Gray. It shows people at their worst. Every time something bad happens or as Dorian gets older, his picture ages, but Dorian stays as handsome as the day the picture is painted. When he sees his true self, he starts to turn into the picture, and rot away. My favorite movie is a series. I like the Smallville series. I think it is funny how so many paranormal things happen in the small town." I laughed at Angela's statement. Paranormal does seem to center itself in small towns. She told us about what the class was going to comprise of and the grading chart. The bell rang and the kids stood up to rush to lunch. Renesmee and I were the last to leave. As we started to walk out, I turned to Ms. Weber and smiled.

"Good job today, Ang." She turned and winked at me.

"You too, Bella Cullen." And with that, Renesmee and I were out the door.

Seating wasn't too crowded in the lunchroom. Renesmee and I grabbed a tray and quickly paid for our meal. We found Alice, Jasper and Emmet sitting in a corner. We sat down and noticed we were missing Edward and Rosalie.

"Where's da-Edward, and Aunt Rosalie?" Renesmee asked. Emmet pointed to the cafeteria door. Edward had just entered. I watched pretty much every girls' head turn and watch him walk in. I was instantly glad I could not read minds. I let out a low growl. Renesmee put her hand on my arm and I saw flashes of today. Everyone was always staring at us.  
"Are we that strange?" Renesmee asked me through the pictures. I smiled and tried to comfort her.

"We're just new hunny." I comforted. Edward sat down and joined us.

"Where's Rose?" He asked, joining us at the table. His head shot up and he turned to the middle of the room. Sure enough, Rosalie was walking toward us, smiling triumphantly. She sat, gracefully, at the table and set a small note pad down in front of Renesmee.

" Every guy Carol's friends have ever dated." He smirked. "It became a personal bet."

"I can tell. Those girls are thinking murderous thoughts about you." Edward glanced down at the note pad. Rosalie smiled and waved at one of the guys that was talking to Carol.

"Just don't go overboard, Rose." Emmet warned. "You have a tendency to be vindictive, and remember the last time we let a human sit with us? We all almost got killed, a couple of times." He said, too fast for normal people to hear. He then looked at me and smiled. "Sorry Bells, but you know it's true." I smiled

"I know Emmet."

"At least no one is thinking about joining us at the table." Edward mumbled.

"I don't see anyone joining us today." Alice confirmed.

Other than lunch, and my 6th hour drama class, (Renesmee and Alice's idea) 7th hour gym was the most stressful. Why did I always get 7th hour gym? At least when I was human, if I got hurt I didn't miss any other classes. Now, I just hoped that I wouldn't hurt any one else. Unfortunately this was my one and only class with Emmet and Rosalie.

"Just don't kill everyone, Bells." Emmet enjoyed reminiscing about my clumsy beginnings, and using a nickname.

"Ignore him." Edward said, as he walked out beside me. "You'll do fine."

"Only twenty percent, right?" I smiled. He nodded and laughed.

"It's just volleyball. Don't aim for their heads and don't get too competitive, you'll do great." I took a deep breath. Gym was the only class where we jumped right into the lessons. Since our gym clothes were given to us by the school, we didn't have to worry about dressing out. Just bringing shoes to wear. We were separated into groups and the matches were being started. My group consisted of Edward, myself, one of Carol's friends, and a few other kids that I didn't catch the name of. Our group did great against the other groups, until we got to Rosalie and Emmet's group. They slaughtered us. Luckily, they were the last match of the day. We were then allowed to get dressed and head home.

Kind of an abrubt stop. Sorry about that. I will have Chapter seven out shortly. Oh Remember guys! REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS!


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for all of your wonderful review! I finally finished my chapter. Not to hype it up but only a few more chapters left. I 'm guessing about 5 possibly six. Oh and I did take someone's advice. Thank you again.

Chapter 7: Witch

School had droned on for weeks, much the same as the first day. Due to Jasper's talent, people avoided us in the lunchroom, and we were admired from a distance.  
"That's how it should be. It's safer that way." Jasper had said. Carol made a point to snap twice anytime we walked by. This was lost on most of the other students. She was trying to insinuate that we were the Adams Family. I found myself following suit with Rosalie and rolling my eyes at her. Most of September passed with no events. Even Renesmee's birthday was quiet. She spent it in La Push. She had gone fishing with Charlie and her Uncle Billy. Billy Black had made a comment about not being comfortable with Renesmee on the boat. Charlie had replied that he felt safer with Renesmee in the boat than Jacob. Even though there was a permanent truce between the Quiliets and the Cullens, some of the tribe members were not so trusting of us. Charlie officially knew the truth about the Cullens. Billy had started telling the story of the vampire stand off and the pack's involvement. He also started telling of the love between a wolf and a vampire. The story was, of course, unfinished. Charlie had visited us with Jacob one week and touched my hand when he entered. This was a strange thing for him to do. He usually avoided my cold skin, for fear of asking a question he did not want the answer to. This time he purposely touched my hand and smiled.  
"My Bells, aren't you the Cold One?" He put special emphasis on the words 'Cold one' I understood his statement at once.  
"You have no idea." I smiled. After that short conversation, Renesmee had started giving pictures and memories to Charlie. This helped him piece together the story. Renesmee had heard how Edward and I met and our story so many times, she had the memories in her mind, even though she was not there.  
My birthday was a perfectly bright and sunny day. So we stayed home from school and drove to the mall in Seattle. We parked as close to the door and moved as fast as we could, and still look human, to the door. We spend the rest of the day inside. The only person allowed outside in public was Renesmee. She would never know how lucky she was that she could go out and just look like she had a healthy glow. After the mall trip, we decided not to press our luck and traveled down by Forks to hunt.  
It was officially the first week of October and Angela had us read the book, "The Crucible." by Arthur Miller. She had told the class how the witch hunts did not start in Salem. They actually started during the Spanish Inquisition, a hundred years earlier. The Inquisitions had stopped and suddenly, there were witch hunts in Salem City and Salem town.  
On this particular day, Renesmee and I walked into class. We noticed that there was an envelope on every desk. Angela had written a sign on the board. It read, "DO NOT OPEN THE ENVELOPES!" Renesmee and I sat down and watched the rest of the class come in. Angela was sitting at her seat, reading a book. She looked up over the book and winked at me. When the bell finally rang, she sat up and walked to the front of the class.  
"Today class, we are going to have a real Witch hunt, Salem style." She looked at everyone. "I put an envelope on everyone's desk. I gave each of you a specific card, it will tell you whether you are a human, a wizard, a witch or some other type of mythical creature." Her lips twitched into a smile. I understood the joke. Surely she wouldn't make me a vampire in front of the entire class, right? "Now, when I tell you, I want you all to open and read them. Do not show them to anyone. While we are going over the review, I want the witches to give some of the citizens the evil eye." She was enjoying all of the superstitions. "If you catch a witch or wizard giving the evil eye, call them on it. We will have a trial and see if the person you called out is really a witch or wizard." I looked over to Renesmee, she looked excited for the class. I had to admit, if one of my old teachers had done this in class, I would have paid more attention.  
"Ready class?" She looked around, we all had our envelopes, ready to slash them open and reveal our fate. "Now!" She called. We all tore into them. I looked at my card, and with with relief, I was a human. I did a quick glance at Renesmee's paper, she too, was human. I sighed, now I had to take notes for the test, and wait for the witch or wizard to start cursing people. Angela had just started going over the test when Carol's scrawny arm shot up.  
"Miss Weber! I got the evil eye! I caught the witch!" She called. Angela smiled and motioned for Carol to come up to the front.  
"I want you to call the witch out, then we can begin our trial. Who ever the witch is, you can not show us your paper. You have to prove your innocence without it." Carol was in front of the classroom. She was looking pained, like Abigail, the girl from the Crucible. She was getting into character and going overboard.  
"Carol, who is the witch or wizard?" Angela asked. Carol's lips turned into a sneer.  
"Bella Swan." The room gasped. I think I gasped also.  
"I was staring straight ahead!" I protested.  
"I know you were. You sent your little half witch of a cousin to give me the curse." Carol was staring pointedly at Renesmee. Renesmee's hands shot up.  
"I'm not a half anything!" She cried. Angela's face looked like she was torn between letting the argument continue, and breaking it up.  
"If you're not a half witch, then you are a witch." Carol accused. Renesmee shook her head.  
"I'm not a witch."  
"Half- breed." Carol called, she had noticed which word set Renesmee on end.  
"I'm not a half-breed." Renesmee balled her fist and hit the desk. It gave a sickening thwap sound. Renesmee had cracked the desk. I could see the line that had formed under her fist. Carol found the one way to anger one of us and she was sticking with it.  
"Renesmee's a half-breed." She laughed. Renesmee's face turned into a scowl, I noticed something rustle by the window in the door. It must have been Alice and Edward. Alice knew something was about to happen, but was stuck on the other side of the door. Renesmee glared at Carol.  
"Be quiet you filthy mongrel." Renesmee growled. Carol looked shocked. I remembered the word, 'filthy mongrel' is what Rosalie called Jacob when she would get angry with him. That's the only place Renesmee could have heard it.  
"How…dare you." She sputtered. She reared her hand back and flung it forward to smack Renesmee in the face. In an instant, I had caught her wrist, I felt her hand snap. She was going to have a sprained wrist, at very least. I let out a low growl.  
"Don't you even think about hurting her." Everything happened so fast, Angela didn't have time to react. Renesmee was shaking. I dropped Carol's wrist. She winced in pain. Just then, a teacher walked through the door.  
"Mr. Price, I was just about to call you. Will you watch the class for a moment?" Mr. Price looked up, confused and then nodded. "Carol, to the office. Bella, I'll help you get Renesmee to the bathroom to clean up." She followed Renesmee and me into the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My eyes were black. I then noticed the scorching flames in the back of my throat. I felt like my throat was about to erupt into flames. I calmed it down and tried to think of something else.  
"I wanted to bite her momma, not to change her, but to rip her to shreds." Renesmee let the last part out in a growl. She was livid. Even angry, Renesmee knew that she couldn't change someone. She had no venom in her body. But she could shred Carol to bits.  
"I am so sorry, Renesmee, I didn't know it would get out of hand that quickly." Angela apologized. Renesmee nodded.  
"It's all right, Mrs. Weber. "She said those things, not you." Suddenly we heard a voice from out of nowhere.  
"Maybe it was too early to put you in school. You can always try again the next time we go through school." It was Edward. He had walked out of the stall he had been hiding in. Alice walked out of a neighboring stall.  
"Carol is going to go to the hospital. She sprained her wrist. Bella, you need to beat her there and tell Carlisle. He doesn't like surprises about us. Especially if we've been in a fight." Renesmee started putting her hands under the cold water and splashing her face. She tried to breath in slowly and calmed down the wild thumping of her heart. Angela looked over toward me.  
"I'll write you two a pass. You can head to the hospital from here." She glanced at Edward and Alice, "Do you two need passes as well?" Edward shook his head.  
"I think Bella and Renesmee will be fine." After Renesmee had calmed down and stopped shaking, we walked out of the bathroom. Edward and Alice headed back to their class, and Angela walked back to her class. We had gotten into my car when the bell rang for lunch. Lunch was when Alice saw Carol leave for the hospital. Due to my driving, we made it to the hospital in record time. The St. Mark was a rather pathetic hospital, not much larger than the one in Forks. I walked in and went straight for Carlisle's office. He was sitting there, obviously waiting for his lunch break to be over, when we walked in.  
"Bella, Renesmee, what brings you here?" He looked behind him, waiting to see if any one else was with us. "Is everything all right?" I could tell from the concerned look he was giving that he really wanted to ask if we had to move.  
"Everything is fine." I assured him. "Carol Ogden will be visiting you soon." He arched his eyebrow. "I think I broke her wrist." I admitted.  
"What happened?" He asked, suddenly worried.  
"She was picking on Renesmee, she went to hit her and I caught her fist and the force of her swing made her wrist pop. I don't think anyone will think anything strange of it." Carlisle sighed.  
"Act like her wrist is sore. The impact should have injured you, not near as bad as it probably hurt her, but still. Treat your wrist with care." I took hold of my wrist, gingerly, and nodded. There was a knock on Carlisle's door.  
"Come in!" He called. Mr Ogden walked in and looked at us, nervously  
"I saw your girls come in. Is anything wrong?" He looked at me holding my wrist.  
"Nothing's wrong. Bella sprained her wrist keeping someone from hitting Renesmee, here. They came by during lunch to have me look at it." Carlisle nodded toward my wrist.  
"Someone tried to hit Renesssie?" He mispronounced Renesmee. "Who? I will make sure they are punished." He looked angry. He was afraid that someone was going to scare us away from Marks. I could hear Carol's car pulling into the lot. I smiled.  
"I'm afraid it was Carol. It seems she will be in soon with a hurt wrist, from where Bella had stopped her." Carlisle sighed. "Girls will be girls." He shook his head. Mr Ogden looked like he was going to pop a vein. His face started to turn a light shade of blue. I could hear Carol walk in and rush to her dad's office. She found it empty and walked toward Carlisle's office. I put my wrist to my chest and Renesmee and I walked out of the office. We passed her as she was walking in. She looked nervous seeing us pass her. She must be wondering how we beat her to the hospital. She shut the door behind her. Renesmee and I could hear the argument. Her dad scolding her for fighting, her revealing that she has to spend a week in the detention room, and Carlisle telling her that her wrist is sprained, and even if the principal would let her cheer, he was benching her from the team for at least three weeks. Renesmee winced. Carol was going to make our lives miserable now. We turned to walk to my car. I looked at the clock as we walked to out of the hospital. There was still time for us to make it back before lunch was over. My phone rang. It was Alice's ring.  
"Hi, Alice, we're on our way back." I replied.  
"That's great Bella, I saw that Carol's arm is sprained." She sang.  
"Yes, she'll be…"  
"Out from cheerleading for a while, I know. I saw try outs tomorrow for the JV cheerleader spot and Renesmee gets it." She was giddy. I stopped and looked at Renesmee who was all ready in the car waiting for me. I smiled. Now Carol was really going to hate us.

Thank you again. Please remember to read and review!


	8. Chapter 8

This is a repost! Sorry about the bad spelling, the online spell checker only flagged the words, Renesmee, Voultri, Cullens, and Emmet. I switched spell checkers, and I added a bit more. Not a lot, just enough to make my points clearer.

All right, on to Chapter 8. It's all starting to come together! Please review and let me know how I'm doing. I love all the suggestions. It helps me write.

Chapter 8: Spies

Jacob.  
This is Edward. I am sending you a picture of Renesmee's new hobby. I hope you feel the same way about it as I do.

Edward attached a picture of Renesmee in her new Cheerleading outfit. He hit the send button and clicked out of the e-mail. I walked into our room where he was typing. He stood up and walked to the window. I followed him. He was staring at Renesmee practicing with Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmet. Emmet was throwing Renesmee high into the air and she was practicing her toe touches. Alice and Rosalie were showing Renesmee how to flip. They enjoyed living their cheerleading dreams vicariously through Renesmee. Due to away games and sure to be sunny locations, Alice and Rosalie had to duck out of cheerleading. I sighed. I missed cheerleading all together. With my old flexibility and grace, I was lucky enough to make it to the game. I didn't have the coordination to be a spectator, let alone a cheerleader. Edward wrapped his arms around me and held me.  
"I don't understand why girls want to be cheerleaders." He stated, still staring out the window.  
"I don't get it either, but it makes them all happy, so who are we to judge?" Edward rested his chin on my head. "So much has changed since we went to high school the first time huh?" I asked, looking up to see his face. He nodded. It was silent in our room. Edward had picked the song, "Konstantine" to play in the background. It was sad and melodic. I felt relaxed and mentally tired from the day. Edward turned me to face him. He bent over and gently kissed me. I put my arms around his neck and I rested my head on his chest. We gently swayed to the music. We hadn't really danced since the wedding. We used to play dance with Renesmee, but this is different. It felt nice. He gently traced his fingers up and down my back and continued swaying. He gently lifted his arm to pull me in a twirl. The outside world dissolved. It was just me and him in our room, dancing to a soft song. I brushed my lips against his neck and laid my head on his shoulders. He continued swaying, running his fingers through my hair. I had a vision of Edward and I getting into his car and driving off. Both Edward and I looked toward the door. Renesmee was standing in the doorway watching us.  
"Why don't you go on a date night? You two never get to be alone." She suggested. "I'll have Grandma and Grandpa help me with the science project." I looked up at Edward.  
"We haven't done much in a while." I added. Edward nodded. He seemed to have come up with an idea.  
"Very well, we'll be back before it gets too late." Renesmee laughed.  
"Daddy, you don't have a curfew." He walked up and hugged her.  
"No, but I still like to let you know these things. Bella," he turned to me. "I'll tell the others where we are going, while you get changed. I'll see you at my car in two minutes." And he ghosted away. I quickly picked out a blouse and skirt and dashed down to the Volvo. We were driving, as soon as I was in the car.  
"Where are we going?" I asked, ten minutes into the drive. He turned to me.  
"We have to hunt, for one, and I was having trouble figuring out what we could do on our date night. Dinner and a movie, isn't as fun for us. So I thought we could go for a walk." I looked in the back seat and noticed Edwards backpack. It was different. He never leaves his backpack in the car.  
"Doing homework on our date?" I asked, suspicious. He looked straight ahead.  
"You never know."

We pulled into forks 30 minutes later.  
"Visiting home?" I asked.  
"Not quite." He continued driving, he left the city limits of Forks and turned into La Push territory. He stopped his car in the 'no mans land'. I remembered the spot well. This was where Edward and Jacob would have their custody battles over me.  
"I give up, Edward. What are we doing today?" He flashed his smile. The same smile that made me melt. He handed me a handful of fabric from his backpack. I took it and pulled on the fabric and it unfolded into a two piece swimsuit. I looked questioning up at him.  
"Since we have no fear of the treaty anymore, and since I doubt you can kill yourself, I thought you'd show me the La Push beach, and maybe join me in a bit of Cliff diving. I want to see what possessed you to jump." I took Edward's hand and started to show him around. We stopped everywhere. The beach where Jacob had first told me the story of the 'Cold Ones' the land where we used to ride our bikes, and finally the cliff. Edward looked over.  
"For us, it doesn't look too scary. But for a human, that must have looked like suicide." He continued to stare. I dashed into the woods and quickly changed into my swimsuit. He quickly changed also. I dropped my clothes near the edge of the cliff. Edward looked over and smiled.  
"The first time, did you swan dive?" He smiled. I rolled my eyes.  
"It felt more like a belly flop."  
"Are you ready?" He asked. He was going to jump also. I nodded, the exhilaration filling me.  
"One," I looked over at his perfect face, "Two." I took his hand and knelt into a crouch, "Three!" I called, and we flew forward. We flew through the air for a while, then I felt gravity taking hold, and like a rollercoaster flying downward, we plummeted. As a human, the fall was so quick, I didn't have time to think, but as a vampire, it felt drawn out. We hit the water with a splash, and came up laughing.  
"That was great." Edward called as he popped up a few feet away from me. The water splashed and rose against me. The water was cool, even to me. It must be icy to a normal person. I quickly swam to the edge and raced up the cliff again. Edward was at the bottom, cheering me on. I flung myself over the cliff again. Edward and I took turns throwing ourselves over the cliff. Edward was up to fly off the cliff when I got an idea.  
"Edward, I'll race you to the other side." I turned to start swimming away. He called out.  
"That's not fair! You're already down there!" I heard him run and jump. I was still farther ahead. I dove underwater, and swam fast. My feet touched bottom, I was almost to the edge. Then I was pushed under. A hand pushed my head down into the cool water. Edward must have beat me, I thought. But that's impossible, I was so far ahead of him. Then I felt two sets of hands grab my arms and lift me up. I knew it wasn't Edward then. I snarled and prepared to look at the unfortunate person that dunked me. I was met by a pair of blood red eyes. I wretched my head over to look at my second captor, he also had bright red eyes. I scanned the area for Edward. He had noticed the two as they grabbed me and he was right in front of them, growling. A third vampire ghosted out of nowhere and was inbetween Edward and my captors. They were all males, strong looking, and ridged. They looked like the men I had seen in Port Angeles. The vampires looked as if they were buzzed on drugs. Their eyes darted. The main one, blocking Edward and me, looked calm. He turned and smiled at me.  
"Look at her eyes, Jonathan, they're gold." My captor on the right looked taken back. The other one looked just as shocked. The vampire in the middle sneered.  
"Cullens." He looked disgusted. He had said our name as if we were a sub species of vampires.  
"You are not allowed on these grounds." Edward said, through clenched teeth. He was trying to remain calm.  
"I know," The main vampire replied, "But we're spies. Our special ability is to stay hidden. You didn't know we were watching you, until we grabbed her. Those wolves will never find us." He smiled and walked closer to Edward. "You're not big and strong, nor do I notice any change in my moods, so you must be the mind reader." He turned to me. "That would make you his wife, the shield. I'm guessing you left the immortal child at home?" He knew us. He knew of our talents. I felt my captor's hands clench on my arm. The old Bella would have a bruise for weeks. I noticed that one of them had his teeth aimed for my throat. His bite could not turn me into anything, but he was still capable of ripping pieces of flesh from my throat and dismembering me. I had seen this pose. It was a show of conquering, of dominance. I remember when Jasper was teaching everyone to fight. He and Alice would battle for ages and she would end up perched on him with her teeth to his throat. She had won the battle. Now, this vampire had me in the same position. If I tried to fight, I would lose my head before I could even turn to argue.  
"Why are you here?" Edward was trying not to glare at the men that were holding me.  
"We came to watch the wolves. The Voultri thought it would be wise to understand them better." The main vampire purred. "We mean you no harm." I felt relief flood over me. I lifted my shield and looked at Edward.  
"Is that true? They mean us no harm?" I looked at Edward, who was watching the vampire. He gave a slight shake of the head. My hope deflated. "Do they intend to kill us?" He looked over at me and gave a nod.  
"The problem is," The main vampire started, "You have seen us, and you could warn the wolves of the Voultri. You see our dilemma." He purred. Just then I heard a song playing. It was my lullaby. My eyes darted up to the cliff. My cell phone was ringing. The Lullaby that Edward had made for me was the ringtone. It was ironic that the ring was the last song I ever heard.  
"That must be your future seeing sister." The vampire smile a wide grin. I knew that it couldn't be Alice. The only person that had the ringtone was Edward. And his phone was in his pant's pocket, which had been set next to my bundle of clothes. The main vampire turned to me and smiled.  
"It's a shame." He purred. He put his hand on my stomach. "Such a pretty little thing. We might keep you for a few hours." He looked over at Edward and smiled. Edward's face looked pained, then he growled and crouched into a lunge. "You attack, and we kill her in a second." The main vampire reminded him. "We might just make you watch." He put his hand on my hip, and I let out a growl. My growl sounded like a kitten next to Edwards ravenous growls. Then we heard a roar.  
In a flash, I saw a brown blur take out one of my captors. The vampire's head smashed into the ground with a sickening thud. I didn't hesitate, I attacked the other captor and aimed for his throat with my teeth. I had pierced through the jugular and was ready to bite again when a grey wolf grabbed the vampire by the leg and started to drag him. I backed away. I looked over to see Edward feinting towards the main vampire. It looked like a magical dance. The main vampire had his back turned to me, and was concentrating on escaping the two wolves and Edward. I saw my opportunity. I leapt up on to him and twisted his head, snapping his neck. I then bit into his arm and pulled it apart as well. Edward grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me back. I was so livid and scared that I was still shaking. The brown wolf padded towards the trees and then walked back in the shape of Jacob.  
"Thanks for the call, we had been looking everywhere for those vampires." Jake smiled.  
"Call?" I asked. Jake looked between me and Edward.  
"The phone that was ringing. We heard it in the woods. We knew that someone had a cell phone and the song was the same obnoxious song Nessie always tells me about. She wants me to write a song like the one her dad wrote her mom. So when I heard it playing, I knew it was you, then I heard the argument and the growling." I ran into Jake's arms and hugged him, thankfully.  
"Woah, er, it's okay Bella. It was no big." He said, nonchalantly. I kissed him on the cheek.  
"Thank you for saving us. I really thought I would never see you, Renesmee or my family again." Edward walked up to him and awkwardly embraced him, for just a second.  
"Er, yes. Thank you very much Jacob." Jacob gave his lopsided smile.  
"Anytime for my future father in law." Jake smiled. Edward glared.  
"I'm not THAT thankful." He mumbled. I dashed up to the cliff and retrieved our clothes, I brought it back. I checked the caller ID. It was Angela. Angela? She didn't have that ring tone. Then I remembered. She had a way of making things work in her favor. I dashed down to Edward and Jacob. I handed Edward his clothes and my cell phone.  
"You should probably call Alice." I started. He opened the phone to dial, but was greeted by a frantic,  
"Hello? Edward?" It was Alice. Edward walked away from Jacob and I and started to grab at some beach wood. Jacob and I joined in. We were going to be making a huge bon fire.  
"No, Alice, Turn the car around." Pause, "No I don't care if Emmet is all ready psyched, we have it handled." Pause again. Jacob threw a huge log into the pile. "Tell Angela thank you and we will see you shortly." He then hung up the phone.  
"Alice, Jasper and Emmet were on their way. I told them we could burn the bodies on our own. They didn't tell Renesmee about the vampires." Jacob started the fire and I watched our enemy burn. Their bodies disappearing in the blue flames. The beach wood started cracking and the fires licked the skies. I stared at the fire with Jacob and Edward.  
"Where'd Seth go?" I asked  
"He morphed fast, and didn't have time to save his jeans. He didn't feel comfortable changing into a naked human around you, so he went home." We all continued to stare at the fire. I looked up at Edward.  
"Do you think we're safe in Marks?" He shook his head.  
"If the Voultri are spying on us, we're not safe anywhere."

Sorry this chapter took so long. It's been hectic, but with spring break and everything coming up. I should have some free time.


	9. Chapter 9

This Chapter is by far the shortest, and took the longest to write. What a combo. I needed this chapter to end where it did, or I would NEVER have gotten it out. So I hope everyone likes it! REMEMBER TO COMMENT!

Chapter 9: Makeup

The fire blazed for almost an hour before we decided to leave. The other wolves had joined Jacob. Their plan was to scatter the ashes in the woods. A few even decided to keep some of the ashes as mementos. Jacob declined. I think imprinting on Renesmee had made him soft about his treatment of vampires, and the ashes smelled really bad.

Our car ride was quick and silent. Edward sped home as fast as he could. We kept the windows rolled up tight. The sun beat down on the windows, holding us prisoner in the sanctuary of our vehicle. I kept wondering about the Voultri. If they were really after us again, could we avoid an inevitable fight? With as many Voultri members as there is, and as many 'Cullens' as we have, there was bound to be casualties, on both sides. After being so close to my family, I couldn't't imagine life without any of them. I could tell by looking at Edward, that he was thinking the same thing. Before we moved to Marks, the family had a discussion about splitting up. Having some of us claim to be newlyweds and living in the next town or so. It would help keep the number of new students in school down. We had, of course, decided against it. The only solution that I can think of now, would be to move again. But if we're being spied on, is there anywhere we could move?

We pulled into our house. The sun was still fairly high in the sky. We walked in calmly, so we wouldn't scare Renesmee. We looked around and spotted Alice and Jasper sitting in the living. Jasper was keeping the house atmosphere calmed. They looked up at us.

"What happened?" Alice asked, she tried to sound worried and anxious, but Jasper kept the question sounding curious.

"Vampires were spying on Jacob and his pack. They attacked us." I whispered.

"They also knew everything about us. They have been spying on us also." Edward stated, calmly.

"We can't hide from the Voultri." Alice started, "They can track us." I nodded.

"There's nothing, really that we can do."

"That's exactly what Carlisle said today." Jasper added. "We are going to be fine. And we need to keep the worry to a minimum, for Renesmee." I looked around. I didn't see any sign of Renesmee.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"She's fingerprinting down in the basement with Esme." Alice chimed. "Science project." As if on cue we hear a small explosion in the basement. Esme and Renesmee came running out of the basement door, covered in white powder, smoke following them up. The powder was the same color as their skin. The only way we could tell they were covered was their clothes. They looked almost ghostlike.

"Are you two all right?" Edward asked, fear edging into his voice. Esme coughed.

"We're fine, dear. Renesmee was letting the super glue fumes rise in the container. She accidentally tripped and knocked over the container with the super glue and one of Carlisle's medical bottles and the solutions burst." I smiled. Renesmee did get my clumsy gene, after all.

"But what caused the powder?" I asked. Renesmee was trying to shake the powder from her hair.

"It's from Aunt Alice's powder. We were using it to collect the bumps on the fingerprints." Renesmee explained, rubbing at her powdered arm. "This stuff is sticky."

Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmet appeared while Renesmee explained what happened. Carlisle muttered the name of the medical bottle that caused the burst. He explained that the smell could cause headaches if inhaled by humans too long. Esme dashed downstairs and gathered the broken bottle into a bag.

"I'll throw this away outside. I don't want any of it to cause Renesmee a headache." She walked outside.

"I'm sorry about your powder, Alice." Renesmee smiled. "I can get the rest of it to you in a few minutes." Alice smiled.

"It's just powder. I can get more." Suddenly Esme screamed.

~*~

We all dashed outside to see what was wrong with Esme. Carlisle reached her first. She had her hands out in front of her. She had made it to the trashcan at the end of the driveway.

"What wrong?" Carlisle had turned to his familiar doctor tone.

"Look!" Esme urged, and she raised her hands so that we could see. Her hands were still covered by the powder. She thrust her hands out into the light. Nothing. She rolled up her sleeve to expose an unpowdered arm. Her sparkly skin shimmered. But the powdered part of her arm looked dull. Carlisle took her arm and rubbed it. Nothing. He examined the skin again. Rosalie dashed inside and grabbed a glass of water. She poured it over Esme's arm. Nothing. No glitter. Carlisle rubber her arm, harder this time, and her skin started to return to it's glittery self. Renesmee walked into the light. Her dull glitter was gone. She looked positively human. Rosalie stared at Esme and Renesmee's dull skin, hungrily.

"You look human!" she gasped. Esme smiled and walked into the light. She was directly in the sunlight.

"I'm as normal as the Ogdons." She smiled. I couldn't fathom why anyone would want to be like the Ogdons, but Esme's joy was apparent. Emmet took a deep breath.

"And you don't stink. You smell the same as you always do."

"That's because our scent is so strong." Carlisle concluded.

"Could we turn this into an airbrushing system, Carlisle?" Alice asked. "We would be able to go to school in the sun, and attend field trips and be around people in the sun." She was gushing now. Rosalie's eyes were vibrant. It was obvious that she longed for the powder.

"We'll have to experiment with it some more, but I think Esme and Renesmee may have found something that all vampires will be needing." Carlisle nodded at Renesmee with approval.

~*~

"So, Renesmee discovered a miracle solution to hide your shiny skin?" Angela had a way of making our conversation sound like Renesmee has found a cure for acne. It was 3:30 and the school was empty. I had opted to stay behind and help Angela take all of her books to her vehicle. I nodded.

"That's amazing." I had explained to her about the wolves and Voultri and the spies, and I thanked her soundlessly for calling at the precise moment she had chosen to call.

"The vampires would have killed us had the wolves not heard your ringtone." I had chosen to leave out the fate they had chosen for me. It was too disgusting to even articulate.

"What about Edward? Wasn't he there?" She asked.

"Of course. We never go far from each other." I explained.

"Couldn't he have fought them?" Edward was indestructible in her eyes. She must have viewed all of us in the same light, except for me. Now matter how much I have changed, she will always view me as clumsy Bella.

"There were three of them. They were poised to kill. By the time Edward lunged, I would have been a goner." Angela looked uncomfortable with the idea of her friend being attacked over the weekend. I tried to change the subject.

"When is the main council members coming to interview us?" She smiled.

"They are coming the weekend of Halloween. They even cancelled appointments so that they would be here before Halloween."

"Do they not like Halloween?" I asked.

"No, it's just a superstition, bad things happen on Halloween." I raised my eyebrow at her. She shrugged.

"I think they are more afraid of how your family might act if they visit on Halloween."

"Actually, we plan to go trick-or-treating with Renesmee and Jacob. Renesmee is still technically only five." Angela laughed

"I forgot that. I hear Mike Ogdon plans to ask her to the autumn festival." She put her finger to her lips. "Shhh.. don't tell anyone I told you." And she giggled.

"You've changed a lot since high school." I laughed and rolled my eyes. Then I frowned.

"Autumn ball?"

"It's a tradition. They always have a dance the week before Halloween. I heard the teachers talking about who will be chaperoning. I guess the new teachers automatically get to do it, or they are being mean and making the new teacher take the chaperoning shift." Angela had a habit of rambling when she was nervous. " I really don't know much about stopping a fight if one ensues. I was really hoping that you and your family would come to help me keep the peace. I thought Alice could warn me if a fight was going to break out, and Jasper could keep the situation under control." Angela blushed.

"I will ask them. It sounds like a good excuse for Alice to shop." I admitted.

"It's a big costume party. Everyone will be dressing up." She smiled.

"Sounds like I will be there. Alice wouldn't allow us to miss this for anything." I shuddered at the thought of Alice's shopping frenzy. Angela must have known what I was thinking.

"So, what are you going to be?" She asked.

"Whatever Alice decides." I sighed.

So far so good. I am starting my writing on the party. Spring break kicked my butt so I should be back to full swing tomorrow or so.


	10. Chapter 10

I finally got around to updating! In my opinion, this is one of my favorite chapters. There is a lot going on. I hope you enjoy it! Remember to Read and Review!

COLD MOON

Chapter 10 : The Autumn Ball

As the week went by, dance posters began to surface on the walls of the school. The posters boasted of a fun time at an autumn ball. Since the school board didn't want to offend anyone, and some families had problems with the word Halloween in past years, the name was Autumn, not Halloween, but the students were allowed to dress up. Alice had gushed over Renesmee's non wolf date, and began immediately searching for cute costumes for the family.  
"The problem with a costume ball is," Alice began, as she drug Edward and me down the aisles at a costume store. " Is that with couples, the girl's outfit may look perfect, but the guy's outfit looks wrong." She had taken every couple to at least three malls, before picking out their outfits. Edward and I were the last to find ours. Alice was starting to worry. The dance was Saturday. Edward was the one that was holding up the line. I would say that I liked an outfit and Edward would turn it down. Edward insisted that we go as something sophisticated. He went as a vampire last year. It was Renesmee's idea. He will do anything his little girl wants. She had us all dress up as vampires from the classic lore. Jacob and the pack had laughed about it for days. The venom in our mouth kept eating at the glue that was used to hold our fake fangs in. We were pretty pathetic looking vampires. This year, Edward wanted to be something classical. Alice held up an outfit and Edward smiled.  
"That's perfect!"

~*~

"Are you serious, Angela?" I had whispered, after the class was dismissed for lunch. Angela and I were the only ones left in the room.  
"It's classic British literature, Bella, and one of the required readings. DESE insists that I teach it in 10th grade, and Halloween is the best time to have you read it."  
"Dracula? Could you get a more stereotypical book?" Angela couldn't hold back her laughter.  
"This is nothing personal. As a matter of fact, a few ladies in my council gave Stoker the idea for the book. It was to keep the masses confused about what a vampire looks like and how to kill them. There will be no way that anyone could connect Dracula with….anything." Angela paused and looked around the classroom. Even though everyone was at lunch, she didn't want anyone to know about her secret or the Cullen's secret. I didn't have to look up, I could hear heartbeats and shuffling feet. There was no one near us. "You have to be able to laugh it off, Bella. Look at me." She motioned to herself with a smile. "Alice and I went and picked out my outfit, and I'm going as a witch. It's okay to poke fun of the stereotypical stuff." I smiled. I understood what she meant.  
"I know, it's just I don't want Renesmee to start critiquing, or thinking that she's a monster. I'm just a concerned parent. That's all." Angela sighed.  
"I thought it would be quite a few more years before I had friends old enough to be my students' parents. I'm getting old." She chuckled. I made a face at her. "I'll talk with Renesmee after class Monday, I'll make sure she doesn't get the wrong idea."  
"Thank you. Now you should go get something to eat. You can't go as long as I can without eating." I followed Angela out of her room and we parted. She was walking to the teacher's lounge and I was walking toward the cafeteria.  
In the cafeteria, Renesmee was talking, animatedly with Alice and Rosalie about the game tonight. Alice had confirmed that there was going to be cloud coverage, and that the family would be able to attend Renesmee's first big cheer. She had small games, where she would go and cheer, but for this game, she was in the middle. Her acrobatic skills had surpassed the other girls, and she was put in center stage. She was still Junior Varsity, but her flips were more impressive than the varsity cheerleaders.  
"I decided to meet Mike at the dance." Renesmee stated.  
"Why? We wanted to play with him." Emmet smiled. Ever since Renesmee had told us that Mike was going to be her escort to the dance, Emmet had been planning on scaring him away.  
"That's one of the reasons, Uncle Emmet." She laughed. " But he's been asking some weird questions, and saying mean things about Edward." Edward looked up. I could tell he was reading her thoughts.  
"He thinks I'm arrogant and nosey?" Edward glared. Rosalie laughed.  
"He got one right." She smiled at Edward.  
"He thinks the rest of the family is really weird. I just don't want to give him any more bait." She looked at us anxiously, waiting for us to disapprove.  
"That's all right, hunny. You can go with him to the dance though." I added.  
"No, he wants to go eat dinner with his friends. I don't think I should go." I smiled, last time we took Renesmee to a restaurant, was Charlie's wedding. We went to his favorite diner, and he told us to all order steak. He, of course, meant everyone except the Cullens. Renesmee ordered a steak, and told the guy that it wasn't rare enough for her. He had practically given it to her moo-ing. We had to cut the dinner short.  
"We understand." Renesmee started prattling about her classes when she stopped, smelled the air and wrinkled up her nose.  
"What's that smell?" She asked, disgusted. I sampled the air. I could smell an odor that was worse than the wet dog smell, Jacob sometimes had. It was like pesticides and urine. Jasper's eyes narrowed on a boy not far from our table. He was laughing and carrying on. Everything seemed funny to him. He was also shaking.  
"Meth." Jasper whispered, coldly. The boy sat down near Mike Ogdon and the others. " I remember this from the time we spent in that small town in Missouri. One boy came in reeking of the stuff, then before we knew it, the whole school smelled of it." I looked from Jasper to Edward.  
"Why does it make them smell so bad?" I had taken health before, but I never noticed anyone that could be on drugs. It always seemed to happen at other schools, not ours.  
"Meth is a combination of chemicals that is either snorted or smoked." Edward sounded like he was reading from a book. " It mixes in their blood stream. It causes their blood to smell noxious. No vampire would attack him unless they were desperate, or provoked."  
"But it makes them crazy. They hallucinate and get paranoid. It also turns the users into real monsters." Jasper replied as he continued to warily watch the boy. We watched the boy laugh with Mike and his crew. Carol and a few of the cheerleaders joined the boys at the table. Carol's hand had mostly recovered from the sprain, but she insisted on the brace. I guess if she keeps it on, she still has an excuse to not cheer. She doesn't have to admit that she was kicked off of the squad. She started chatting with the guys, wishing them luck at the game. She then made an excuse for not going to the game. Mike stood up and looked at our table.  
"Here he comes." Edward whispered. And sure enough, Mike walked over to our table. He stared at Edward as he approached. When he was close enough to touch me, he broke Edward's stare and looked at Renesmee.  
"Renesmee? H-have you picked out a costume yet?" He seemed so confidant, until Jasper filtered a bit of fear through the air.  
"Yes, I have." She replied, he looked a little dejected.  
"Oh, I need an idea. What are you going as?" He sat down at the table next to ours and faced his body toward Renesmee. Alice tried to start a conversation so it wouldn't be too obvious that their conversation was center attention.  
"I'm going as Little Red Riding Hood. A friend of mine is coming down from La Push next week, and we're going trick or treating together as a wolf and Little Red Riding Hood." Edward let out a small breath. Jacob was still considered a friend. That must have been a huge relief for him.  
"I don't think I'll go as a wolf, but I could go as a werewolf." He suggested. " I kind of want to go as something scary."  
"Go as yourself, dude." Emmet mocked. I tried not to laugh, but a small snicker escaped. Mike looked slightly embarrassed.  
"My offer still stands, I could pick you up at your house and you could go to dinner with us." He was trying not to look at any of us, except Renesmee.  
"No, I think my dad wants to drop me off." She had that right. Edward was going to be watching her carefully.  
"Well, I'll see you there." He smiled at her and walked back to his table.

The game was a hit. Renesmee did a flawless performance. The Johnsons sat near us and cheered on Renesmee also. The Johnsons are the family that moved in around the same time as us. Their boys are 3 and 4 years old. They sat though the football game and cheered. Mrs. Johnson had befriended Esme right off. Esme had even planned a trip to the next town with her. Mrs. Johnson was her first non Cullen friend in a long time.  
"Stephanie and I have a lot in common." She had told us. "Mrs. Ogdon drives us both crazy, and she is a master at decorating a house." Ever since the book club, Esme had taken to helping Stephanie Johnson with her boys and giving advice where she could. Mr. Johnson was usually away at work or filling out applications so that they could move somewhere more pleasant, with less cloud coverage. Renesmee had joined us after the game. The Marks High marauders lost to the St. Falls Bulldogs 18-2. Not their best game. But everyone was still in high spirits. Renesmee was ecstatic.  
"Our Coach told me that I could take cheerleading and get a scholarship to any college I wanted!" She bounced. "She also mentioned the Olympics!" Her high flips onto the top of the pyramid, without someone to help lift her up was a bit over the top. We'll have to have her tone it down, just a little.

Saturday was the big day. We were getting dressed, or should I say, Alice was getting us dressed. She would pull Rosalie, Renesmee and myself into her salon type room and attack us with make up. Carlisle had studied the mysterious concoction that Renesmee and Esme accidently made. He concluded that the Super glue fumes and the Ben Nye powder were the main ingredients that worked. We added in the extra bottle of medicine from the bottle, just in case. Just as Alice thought, it could be used as an airbrushing system. Due to the fumes, Renesmee wasn't going to receive the airbrushing. But the rest of us were, just in case. The dance started about the same time as sunset, but we didn't want to chance getting hit with the reflective light.  
"That's why I always use Ben Nye make up!" Alice smiled, almost like a spokeswoman, "the powder is thicker and it sticks more. Soon everyone, except Renesmee, was covered in a thin layer of the desparkler, or Glitz-be-gone, as Alice started calling it. Rosalie came down, wearing short shorts and a long sleeved pin striped jacket. She put on her hat and took a Charlie's angels pose on the stairs. Emmet came down behind her, wearing a matching pin striped jacket. They were going as 1920's gangsters. Rosalie looked like one of the girls from a pin up poster, only prettier. Her face was pale her lips were a bright red, and her hair was in a tight curl, that perfectly framed her face. I grabbed Renesmee's camera off of the coffee table and began to take a picture.  
"We're just sexy like that." Emmet laughed. Rosalie looked up, annoyed.  
"Way to ruin a pose, Emmet."  
"Bella! Your turn!" Alice called. I walked slowly up the stairs. I was traveling slow, even for a human pace. I walked into Alice's salon room and took in her costume. She was wearing a blue bow in her hair. She had on a short dress. The color was blue with a frilly crinoline skirt underneath. The white apron she was wearing had a spade, heart, Diamond and club. The top part of her dress was short sleeved and low cut. By herself, I probably would be able to guess what she was going as, eventually. But just then, Jasper popped in the room, and Alice adjusted his green hat. In his hat, he had two cards sticking out. His outfit was green, and fit him like a glove, his blonde hair was disheveled. They made a perfect pair. Alice in Wonderland, and her mad hatter. Alice's spiky hair bounced as she bounded up next to me.  
"I'm going to do a simple up do, and put in a gold tiara. You'll wear gloves and semi high heels. I nodded, and Alice set to work. Edward walked in wearing a navy blue suit, with gold inlays to match my golden dress. He wore a white ruffled dress shirt underneath. He was a perfect beast. He refused to wear the hair that came with the costume. He said it made him look like Jacob, and he refused to be a furry mongrel. Alice had just finished putting me in my golden dress. The dress had skinny sleeves and was low cut in the front and back. It was a classic ball gown. It was exactly like the Disney version. Alice had found Edward's idea, appealing, but didn't like the mall costumes, so she went and 'borrowed' the Seattle Theater's version.  
"Momma! I'm ready." Renesmee skipped in, wearing a fairly short skirt and classic Little Red Riding Hood outfit. She had white legging's covering most of her legs and her little red velour cape came down to her knees. She looked adorable.  
"You look like a Gothic little red riding hood." Edward replied  
"Just like the Grim brother's intended." Alice shot back.  
"You look adorable, Renesmee." I gushed. She smiled.  
"Does the skirt have to be that short?" Edward stared at her short skirt, made shorter by the frilly crinoline skirt underneath. The white lace was showing.  
"It's longer than mine." Alice reminded him.  
"You're not my daughter, about to go on a date with Mike." Edward retorted. "At least Jacob has enough common sense to be afraid of me." Renesmee sighed.  
"If Jacob were allowed to go to the dance, I would have gone with him." Jacob living farther away must have been hard on Renesmee. It didn't help that he looked older. If Jacob doesn't have the ID we gave him, saying that he is seventeen, he could get picked up as a child molester. Renesmee looked uncomfortable.  
"Can we go now?" She asked impatiently.  
"Okay, we're coming." I stood up and walked downstairs behind Renesmee, who was swinging her little wicker basket around.  
We arrived at the dance. First Alice and Jasper, then Edward, Renesmee and me, then Rosalie and Emmet. Since Rosalie and Emmet didn't have a mind reader or a soothsayer in the car, they weren't able to slow down in time to avoid the police man hiding behind the sign, patrolling for speeding or drunk high schoolers. Luckily, it was a male cop and Rosalie acted very sorry.  
"Thanks for the warning you two." Rosalie growled at Edward and Alice.  
"I would be proud, Rosalie." I came to Edward's defense. "It's not everyday, you get just a warning, when you're going 60 over the speed limit. My dad would have had you in handcuffs." Rosalie made a face.  
"You're dad would have smiled and nodded and gave me a warning, just like every other police man." She had a point. Dad even admitted that he pulled Rosalie over once and she looked so sad, he gave her a warning. We walked into the gym and noticed that we were one of the early ones. Most of the other students went to dinner. I noticed Angela standing near the wall observing the few students that were on the floor. I walked over to her, and Edward followed. The beat of the techno music was blaring off of the empty walls.  
"All looks well."I called as I waved to her. She smiled and waved back.  
"So far, so good." I noticed her outfit. She was wearing a Grey sweater top with a white button up underneath. She had on a yellow and maroon tie beneath the sweater top and a grey skirt, and she was wearing a black cloak.  
"You went as a witch from Harry Potter?" I asked incredulously. She smiled sheepishly.  
"I told you I was going as a witch." Her hair was down and crimpy. She had styled herself to look like Hermoine from the Harry Potter series.  
"It looks nice, Angela." Edward nodded in approval. Angela blushed.  
"Thank you, Edward." I looked up and noticed that a few more people were filing in. Renesmee was starting to mingle with her friends from the cheerleading team. No Mike yet. The gym was getting filled fast. People were coming in dressed as witches, and monsters. A few girls were told to go home and change out of their Playboy bunnyesque costumes. Angela was the only female chaperone so far, so she was assigned to send the girls home.  
"Uh-oh." Alice muttered next to me. She was looking at the door of the gym. I turned to ask her what she meant when they walked in. Mike and his friends, along with their dates stumbled into the gym. They were laughing and pushing each other in. The smell of meth followed them in. The boy was standing their with a girl in a black wig. Carol's eyes met mine and she smiled. Her date had his brown hair gelled and a bit of color had been sprayed on. As the group approached us, I noticed that our family had formed a semi circle with Edward and I on either side of Renesmee, who was the center. Mike stepped forward. He opened his mouth to speak, then he smiled and spit out his plastic white fangs.  
"Good evening." He said in a fake Transylvanian accent. " I figured since I was joining the Cullens tonight, I would dress the part, then my friends joined me." He spread his arms out, flaring his cape. The red silky side shimmered. His outfit was an ugly old black pants and shirt. His face was grayed, but only around the face. His neck, hands and ears were still uncolored. His eyes were blacked all around. It looked as if he had two black eyes, and his hair was in the traditional Dracula slicked back fashion. His friends were dressed close to the same. One girl had a short black wig on. Along with the wig, she was wearing a choker. She must have been playing the part of Alice. The wig was a cheap, short, under styled wig. And the boy with her had long blonde hair and was shaking. Carol had her hair in waves. Brown waves. She was clinging onto the boy with the sprayed hair. His hair was styled just like Edward's. The guy imitating Emmet looked nothing like him, and the girl playing Rosalie has on a fake bright blonde wig. Her clothes were cut off making the skirt really short and the shirt looked more like a bra.  
"I say we go outside and each kill our imitators." Rosalie muttered, too quietly for the fakes to hear.  
"Why would you make fun of us like that?" Renesmee asked, a mixture of outrage, shock and hurt showing in her voice.  
"We're not making fun of you Renesmee, you're different." I could tell by the way Renesmee recoiled as if she had be hit, that Mike chose the wrong words.  
"No I'm not! I'm just like my family!" She shot back at him. Mike started to laugh.  
"No, They're freaks. You have potential. You're not like them." He insisted. The shaking boy let out a giggle and shouted.  
"The Cullens are vampires!" The crowd around us laughed, timidly. Mike laughed as if it was the funniest thing ever said.  
"See Renesmee? You're not a vampire like them." He chuckled again. In an instant, Alice and Edward's heads shot up. Alice had a vision and Edward could read it.  
"No Renesmee!" They shouted, but it was too late.  
"I'll show you vampire!" She growled as she lunged for Mike's throat.

I'm working on the next chapter now! Remember I love Reviews! Thanks

Oh on a side note. I'm working on TWO different versions of the next chapter. I want your opinion. Should Renesmee Bite Mike? What do you think!?


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry it took so long. Writer's block. One of my reviews said I was going rather fast with my story, so I added in a few extra chapters, so this one digresses from what I planned on writing about. There will be alittle bit of fun, before the witch council. Also, I didn't have Angela in here very much, so I gave her a bit of a part in this chapter.

Chapter 11: The Dance

It was a rainy day. I was dressed in black, as was the rest of my family. We were standing outside and the sky threatened to open up and drown us. We were standing near the back of the Mark's graveyard as the preacher droned. I caught a glimpse of Mr. Odgon holding his wife. Carol's eyes were red from crying. The coffin lay in the stretcher, waiting to be lowered. The harsh smell of embalming fluid seeped out from the shut casket. A large picture of Mike Ogdon was put on a tri--fold in front of the coffin. In a flash we were all running, hiding from the town of Marks. They would surely be searching for us soon. We were going to hide out for a decade or so in Siberia. My mind couldn't focus. Too many thoughts were flashing through. It must have been Renesmee. She was showing me her thoughts.  
I watched helplessly as Renesmee lunged and knocked Mike to the ground. I saw her teeth lower towards his neck. Renesmee was incapable of turning anyone into a vampire. But if she was inclined, she could bleed him dry or rip his throat out in a matter of seconds. Mike flew back and skidded on his butt for a few seconds. Renesmee still stood.  
"Don't pick on my family." She hissed, clearly angry. Mike looked stunned. She had avoided biting him. She looked close to tears, her breath ragged from restraint.  
"I –I - I didn't mean anything by the outfit." Mike stammered. "Your family seemed to be reclusive, it was Carol's idea." He pointed his finger towards my imitator. "She said you were weird, and pale. And she said we should dress up as vampires to make fun of your family." Mike was scared. I smiled, I would be too if a little freshman girl had knocked me on my butt. He stood up and Edward put himself between Mike and the rest of the family. He went into a protective crouch, keeping the outsiders from coming in. Or was he keeping Renesmee from attacking them? Carol rolled her eyes.  
"It was just a stupid joke. You guys are so touchy." With that, she made a flourish turn and the rest of her friends followed her, leaving Mike to fend for himself. I watched Renesmee go from furious to embarrassed in a matter of seconds. A deep red blush crept over her face.  
"I'm sorry, Mike. It's just, you haven't been the first person this week to let me know that I stand out from my family." She sighed, " It's hard being the oddball." Mike stood up, a little shaky at first.  
"It's all right. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He made a gesture towards Renesmee, but Edward still blocked her. The boy looked truly sorry. I put my hand out and touched Edward's arm. Edward turned his attention to me and I gently led him away from Renesmee and onto the dance floor. He took my hand and we started elegantly dancing to the music. The song was a slow song and from the looks of the auditorium, the Cullen's were the only ones that actually knew how to dance. The other high schoolers swayed from foot to foot; we glided smoothly across the floor. The other kids exited the dance area and let us dace.  
"I don't like Mike's thoughts." Edward whispered.  
"And what were your thoughts like when you first got to know me?" I asked Edward innocently.  
"I wanted to take you to a secluded place and kill you, tasting every droplet of your blood." He smiled as I turned, gracefully under his arm.  
"See? Mike's thoughts couldn't be that bad." I changed my tactic, "Face it Edward, she's growing up. She can do some things on her own." Edward relaxed a bit.  
"I guess you're right." Edward looked up and turned his head. I turned around and noticed he was staring at Angela. I looked at him questioningly.  
"The council is coming soon." He stated quietly, then he smiled. "And she's bored." We twirled over to the edge of the dance floor where we stopped. Edward walked over to Angela and bowed deeply.  
"Miss Weber, care to share this dance with me?" He stood and put his hand out. She blushed, smiled and accepted. Edward could have glided effortlessly with Angela, but he tried his hardest to make the dance look uncomfortable. She was our teacher, after all. Even though the music was loud, I could hear, with perfect clarity, everything they said.  
"The council head said she would come by in the next day or two." She started, awkwardly.  
"What is this interview going to be like?"  
"I honestly don't know, this hasn't happened in over three hundred years, and your family isn't like the typical interviews they did." Edward shifted, trying to make the dance look uncomfortable. Angela was our teacher, not a friend, and normal teenagers wouldn't dance with their teachers.  
"I guess this is the dance with the groom, that you missed out on at the wedding." Edward continued to guide Angela around the room. She blushed.  
"I have to admit, back in Forks, I had a small crush on you. But I knew you were out of my league." Angela looked confused. I knew it was Edward's ability to dazzle the truth out of people that was at work.  
"You are beautiful, Angela. You need confidence. I know that perfect person will come by." Angela shook her head.  
"You don't understand, Edward. I'm a freak. If I go with a guy, he will age. At first, I will age with him, but I will stop when I'm in my thirties, and he will continue. He'll die and I'll still be thirty something."  
"Angela, Believe me when I say this." Edward whispered. "I do understand, and you are not a freak. Your search for that someone will just be a little harder. It took me a while, but I finally found Bella." Angela smiled, and Edward nodded, reading her mind. I was relieved that Edward left out how long he had been without me. Angela didn't need to be depressed about that.  
"You are a great person, Edward, I wish I got to know you better in Forks, and you are a wonderful dancer." Edward smiled.  
"It comes with the age and the cold skin." Angela and Edward walked away from the dance floor next to me.  
"I think I'll return you to your girlfriend, thank you for the wonderful dance Edward." Angela let go of his hand. Edward took my hand quickly.  
"Thank you very much for the dance, Miss Weber." Edward smiled his dazzling smile. Edward leaned in to me and brushed his lips against my cheek.  
"Would you like to join me outside?" He whispered. I nodded. After almost six years, Edward could still dazzle me. As we headed outside, I noticed that Renesmee was leading Mike around on the dance floor. She had mastered ballroom dancing. Unfortunately, Mike was a swayer. Renesmee was trying to teach him. The rest of our siblings were dancing on the floor, completely engulfed in the good time they were having.

Once we were away from prying ears, loud music and multiple thoughts, Edward pulled me tight into his embrace.  
"Almost like our prom." He sighed.  
"Almost. Except, I'm not in a boot." I laughed. He joined in.  
"That is true. Our family is having a great time. We never got to go to dances before. We never really felt the need to go. You and Renesmee have made a huge difference in our family." I touched his cheek with my hand. I left my hand there, cradling his face.  
"We have many more dances to go to." His eyes looked lost for a moment. Then he snapped into attention, as if he just remembered something.  
"That reminds me, the council member Angela sent for, is due to be here in a few days."  
"I heard. I also heard what you said to Angela. That was very sweet of you." I rested my head into Edward's chest and we began to sway like the high schoolers.  
"Angela and I have a lot in common. I hope she finds someone soon." Edward wrapped his arms around me. Then he stiffened.  
"Those kids that dressed up as vampires want to invite Renesmee to a sleep over." Edward's mind reading ability crushes yet another tender moment.  
"She's never really been to a sleep over. Well except at La Push. She might like it." Soon enough, I could faintly hear them ask her to spend the night. They were using the excuse that they would like to learn some of Renesmee's cheerleading techniques. Edward and I headed inside.

Renesmee was beaming. Carol and the other girls had just asked her to join them for a sleepover at Carol's. Renesmee bounded up in front of us, followed by the girls.  
"Edward, Bella! I was invited to a sleep over at Carol's!"  
"These girls were making fun of you, not even an hour ago." Edward pointed out. Renesmee didn't even seem phased.  
"They want to make it up to me." She was still smiling. "They want me to show them my cheerleading moves." Carol looked annoyed.  
"Just call your mom and dad and ask them. You don't have to ask for your sibling's permission." Renesmee looked confused for a second.  
"I, I like asking them. They help me ask Esme and Carlisle." She knew Esme and Carlisle would just tell her to ask us. Edward looked at Carol.  
"I don't like the fact that Mr and Mrs. Ogdon are out of town." I looked up at Edward. He must have read Carol's mind.  
"How did you know that?" Carol asked, proving my theory.  
"Carlisle told us this afternoon." He smoothly shot back. Mike followed up behind Renesmee.  
"I also don't like the idea that Mike will be there and there will be no parental supervision." I added. Carol did her famous eye roll.  
"You guys live in the same house and you're all dating each other. I'm sure you're not always watched." I glared at Carol. Alice skipped up beside me. She knew what was about to happen. Edward assessed the situation.  
"I think Carlisle and Esme would feel more comfortable with the idea if the other girls were there to help supervise." Carol made a face. The idea of having us at her sleep over wasn't her idea of fun. Alice's smile lit up the room.  
"Sleep overs? I love sleep overs! Let's have it at our house!"  
"Remember our sleeping arrangements?" I whispered, too low for human ears.  
"But I like sleepovers at other people's houses more!" She chimed, remembering that our rooms still look like they belonged to married couples, not high school teenagers.  
"But Edward, Rosalie has other engagements tonight, she won't be able to go." Alice whined. I cringed. Rosalie and Emmet were always too busy to do anything with us.  
"So if these two go, Renesmee can go also?" Carol asked. Edward nodded. "All right, sounds fair." She continued staring at Edward.  
"That's great!" Renesmee jumped up and down. "Just let us go get our pajamas and grab a quick bite to eat." Our eyes were getting darker, we had put off eating in order to get ready for the party.  
"Don't forget your sleeping bags." Carol reminded. I could sense a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Carol and her friends turned to leave. Alice and Renesmee were making plans on what to wear over there, when I heard Carol whisper.  
"Just wait till they fall asleep, then we'll get them."  
If only she knew how long she was going to have to wait.

~*~  
YAY Time for the sleepover! I originally had planned to have Renesmee bite Mike. But this version turned out so much better! Thank you to everyone that helped me decided whether to have her bite him or not.


	12. Chapter 12

This chapter is a bit of a filler. I loved the idea of the girls going to a sleepover. I know sleepovers are a little juvenile for High school, but I couldn't resist.

As always, I own nothing, and please review

Cold Moon

Chapter 12: Sleepover

After the invite, Rosalie and Emmet made an excuse to go home. The rest of us knew what that meant. Soon after we left, our sole purpose was to go hunt. If Alice, Renesmee and I were going to be cooped up in a room full of girls, we wanted to make sure our eyes were as light as possible. After our hunt, Renesmee begged us to go home and get ready. It was close to ten o'clock, and she was excited for the sleep over. We neared the house and Alice growled. Jasper's head shot up in surprise. Her mood change caught all of us off guard.  
"What's wrong?" I asked.  
"Jacob must be near." She growled. " I smell something awful, and my vision just went blank." I heard a rustling in the brush and I immediately knew it was Jacob.  
"Jake!" Renesmee bounded into the woods and tackled him. She helped him up and brought him onto the path.  
"It's harder to sneak up on you guys than I thought it would be." He looked at all of us, counting, motioning to the tops of our heads with his finger.  
"Are we missing two of you." He acted like he was counting us again.  
"Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmet are at the house." Renesmee took his hand. Jacob made a face.  
"That's why you're all hunting in Halloween costumes, huh?" Edward and Jasper nodded.. "That's good, I just thought you all had went off of your rockers." He looked over at me. "Nice Beauty costume, Bells. And Edward, You didn't have to dress up to look like a beast." Jacob smirked.  
"I had a lot of hair for the costume, but I didn't want to look like you and confuse people." Edward and Jacob had fallen into a comfortable friendship of harassing each other. Renesmee did not like sharing Jacob's attention. She pulled on his arm and he turned to her.  
"I went to my first dance today!" She beamed.  
"Did you go with a guy?" He asked, almost with a joking manner.  
"No, but she did dance with one." Edward had been waiting all night to tell Jacob that. I could tell by the reaction Jacob had, that Edward's wait was not in vain.  
"What?!" His eyes were on the verge of bulging out.  
"You know you're my favorite, Jacob. But they wouldn't let anyone from another school go. And I did almost kill him." Jacob looked confused. Renesmee touched his cheek, and he was receiving her thoughts. He smiled.  
"He looked like he was about to puke." Edward smiled. I couldn't believe it. Those two finally found some common ground.  
"She did well at restraining herself." I added in. "She thought about attacking him, but then she remembered what would have happened if she hurt him, so she held back." Renesmee blushed lightly, and quickly changed the subject.  
"We are also going to a sleep over." She added in, still vieing for Jacob's attention.  
"Tonight?"  
"Yes, Carol invited us." She pointed to Alice and me. Jacob nodded and added in sarcastically, to Alice and me.  
"Good luck with that." His tone was very Charlie-like. I nodded.  
"It should be fun. Every vampire's dream. To go to a house full of screaming girls, that sleep and munch on food that smells like crap." I rolled my eyes. Jake clapped.  
"Oh, goodie." He said sarcastically. "Nessie will love it, won't you?" Renesmee nodded.  
"I'm so excited. I think those girls are starting to like us." She beamed. Jacob put his arm around her and turned to the house.  
"Come on guys, let's get 'Nessie ready for her sleepover. Let's make enough noise so that Rose and Emmet will know we're heading back."

Rose and Emmet heard us heading home and were sitting on the couch when we entered.  
"I thought I smelled something. Hello, mutt." Rosalie smiled, wickedly towards Jacob. Jacob smiled. He had gotten into the habit of harassing Rosalie also.  
" Why Rosalie, don't think I've forgotten you. Why do blondes drive BMW's?" Rosalie scowled. Her car was a BMW. She rolled her eyes.  
"I'll play along. Why do blondes drive BMW's?" He grinned ear to ear.  
"Because they can spell it." Emmet coughed to hide his laughter.  
"Babe, that's what you drive." He laughed nudging her.  
"I know that Emmet." She hissed.  
"The tribe has a whole list of blonde jokes that they have written on the rez, I just read a few as I come up here for Rosalie. Leah usually has the best ones." Jacob explained. Alice ran upstairs, and Edward ran downstairs. Both came back to us holding something different.  
"Here's our clothes! I brought Fredricks of Hollywood pajama sets and I brought the boring ones you usually insist on, Bella." Alice chimed.  
"Alice, Frederick's of Hollywood is a little risque for a high school sleep over party." I interjected. Frederick's of Hollywood makes Victoria Secrets look like a Wal-mart. The lingerie found in Fredricks is slinky and pricey.  
"Fine," She sighed, "We'll wear the boring sets of pajamas." Alice walked toward the cars. Edward was holding our sleeping bags.

"I don't get why they're having a sleepover." Rosalie complained. "Aren't these girls in high school?" Renesmee walked over to Rosalie.

"They seem to do things differently here, Aunt Rose." Edward walked up to me and pointed at Alice.  
"Pretend to sleep, you two, Nessie, have a good time." Renesmee hugged her dad and walked outside. I moped behind them. We stood looking at all the cars we had to choose from.  
"You girls take Alice's yellow Porsche, and we'll take.." Edward started.  
"Not the Volvo." Jake whined. "I wanna ride in a cooler car than that.  
"Take my car." I offered. Jake jumped into the passenger side. Edward got into the driver's side and Jasper crammed into the nonexistent back. Edward started the engine.  
"We'll follow you there and make sure you have everything. Then I think Jacob and I are going to do some male bonding." Edward grinned, holding back a laugh.  
"Don't hurt him, daddy." Renesmee warned.  
"I won't hunny." He reassured her.

Edward and Jacob had followed us to the Ogdons, and grabbed our sleeping bags for us. Jacob forgot who packed our bags decided to carry that one in also.  
"This thing weighs a ton, what's in it?" He asked.  
"Clothes, make up, shoes, you know." Alice replied as she skipped to the front of the door. She rang the doorbell, and Mike promptly answered the door. He smiled at Renesmee and then looked up at the rest of us.  
"How many are coming to this sleepover?" He asked, warily.  
"Just Bella, Alice and I." Renesmee chirped, "Edward and Jacob are going to go hang out." Mike looked relieved. Edward gave me a quick hug.  
"Be safe, Mike has something planned." He whispered quickly. And we parted. Jacob gave Renesmee a large bear hug, swinging her a bit.  
"Have fun guys." Jacob said as Jasper gave Alice a quick peck on the cheek. We were ushered into the house. It was a large house, similar to ours, only with less rooms and more clutter. We made our way up to Carol's room and Mike followed along. He kept close to Renesmee, who didn't even seem to notice.  
Carol's room looked like an obsessive girl's room. Her room was covered in teen posters. She had all of the popular artists posters on he walls. The other girls were all ready in the room, munching on potato chips and listening to music. Alice dove right in, helping one of the girls with her nails. Alice had at one time gone to cosmetology school and knew how to get intricate with nail designs. Renesmee and I sat our stuff down and set our sleeping bags out next to some of the girls.  
"Have some chips." Carol insisted. I shook my head.  
"We ate before we came."  
"It's just a snack." Carol replied. I thought fast.  
"We're on a strict diet." One of the girl's looked up.  
"Diet? You girls are beautiful, what type is it?" I thought for half a second and then smiled.  
"It's a high protein, low carb diet."  
"With lots of red meats." Alice added, never looking up from the girl's nails that she was designing. Carol ignored us and went back to her radio and switched the CD. The radio started blaring a hip hop song. Carol swaggered to the music for a bit and sat down. She promptly started to gossip. I listened but stayed on the tip of the conversation. Renesmee joined in a conversation with one of the little blonde haired girl farther back. I quickly counted, there were ten of us all together.  
"Hey, Carol, who was that guy you were telling us about?" One of the girls asked. She wanted to get a rouse out of Carol and apparently did. Carol started to glare at her. "You know, that guy you said you were crazy for." Carol mumbled some boys name. It was a lie. I could tell by the way she looked away the second she said his name.  
"No, that's not the guy." The girl in the pigtails and pink and green pajamas insisted. "The guy you said you were madly in love with. Like forbidden lovers." She pretended to swoon. Alice's eyes glazed over for a second, but then she smiled and continued working on the nails. Carol turned a slight shade of red.  
"Fine, Abby! I had a crush on Edward Cullen." She admitted, slightly embarrassed. I smiled. I would be a fool not to think that at least one person in this room didn't have a crush on one of the Cullen boys. The girls looked at me to see what I would do.  
"That's fine, you can't help who you like." I replied, trying to help Carol out. "But I'm pretty sure Edward and I aren't going to be breaking up anytime soon." Carol didn't like my answer.  
"Couples in this town don't stay together very long." She replied. "Unless…" She let her voice wander. Her eyes turned big and she smiled. "Oh. My. God." She held out for dramatic pause, all of the girls were looking at her now. "You had sex with Edward Cullen." That was all it took for the girl's to form a circle around me. This must have been Alice's vision.  
"No I haven't!" I insisted. That was a lie. Renesmee was proof of that, but still, sixteen was a little young to lose your virginity, so I decided to go with the lie.  
"There is no way Carlisle or Esme would approve of that." I was so glad that I was incapable of blushing. "We've planned to wait until marriage." Carol looked bored with my answer, but turned to start another conversation with someone else. I wished that I had the ability to read her mind.  
"If Bella and Edward get married, wouldn't that be like marrying your brother?" She pointedly asked the girl next to her. Renesmee came to the rescue.  
"They aren't related, it would be like marrying someone you've been around forever." Carol was stuck. She couldn't press the issue, and she had no where else to go. She couldn't pick on us anymore. The girl that was getting her nails done saved Carol from the moment of awkward silence.  
"Oh my goodness, Alice! These nails are beautiful! You should go into cosmetology!" The girl fluttered her nails around to show off Alice's work. There were intricate flowers on every finger, each flower was different. The background matched her teal pajamas. Two other girls went over to wait for Alice's designs. I got up to go change into my pajamas. Renesmee followed me. Alice responded that it wasn't the right time to go get changed. We quickly grabbed our, 'boring' pajamas and I went first to change, and then Renesmee followed. Our pajamas were capri bottoms with full sleeve tops. The tops were floral and low cut. When we returned to the room, Alice was working on her fourth girl and Carol was complaining about her brother having his friends over the same night as she was having her sleepover. Her brother had wanted to do a party, but Carol kept insisting that a sleepover was a safer bet.  
"Mom and dad won't be the wiser if we have sleepovers and our rooms get messed up, but if we tear up the house with a party, we are grounded forever." She looked smug. "Plus, anyone can join a party. It takes a lot of bargaining to join a slumber party." She looked at Alice and me when she said this. Alice, as if on cue, stood up, looked at the surprised girl, who was still holding out her hands to be painted and stretched.  
"I'm going to go put my pajamas on real quick." She grabbed the bag and walked to the bathroom. Before she entered, she turned and gave me a wink. Alice must have lost it.  
Just then Carol's door flew open and Mike and two of his friends stood in the doorway. They were dressed in Rambo gear and were holding super soakers. They smiled as they looked into the room. They quickly aimed and fired water at all of us. The girls started screaming and scrambling for cover. Renesmee and I could have easily avoided all of the water, but we would not look normal being the only dry ones, save Alice. Alice had seen it all along. Renesmee and I dove beside Carol who had taken refuge behind her vanity. The boys laughed and left.

Carol looked around and assessed the damage. A few girls had escaped dry. Alice opened the door from the bathroom, dressed in her short Fredricks of Hollywood shorts and a deep purple, low cut babydoll dress. She had put a deep purple ribbon in her hair. She looked around innocently at the chaos.  
"What happened?" She looked shocked.  
"Mike and his friends attacked us with water guns." One of the girls grumbled, while checking her sleeping bag for damage, "Looks like Bella, Renesmee and Carol got the worst of it." I examined us, Renesmee and I were soaked, and Carol's shirt wasn't too bad, but she was still grabbing another pair of pajamas. She took in our drenched state with a smile.  
"Sorry, I don't think you'll fit into my size." She grinned. Truth be told, Carol was probably a size larger than Renesmee and myself. But she was not going to play nice.  
"It's okay. I brought spares, just in case." Alice sang, holding up two pair of pajamas. Renesmee's outfit was a cute juniors spaghetti strap top with capri bottoms. Her outfit was themed in multi color polka dots. My outfit was a halter in deep blue with shorts.  
"How lucky of you to have spare outfits." Carol didn't even try to hide the contempt in her voice.  
"Be prepared. You never know what the future holds." Alice smiled her classic smile. A few of the girls commented on our outfits.  
"Your parents let you wear those in front of….everyone?" One girl asked, trying to word her question correctly. I knew she meant around the guys that we were 'dating'. Alice looked unphased.  
"There's nothing wrong with them. Why would it be a problem?" The girl blushed, turning three shades of red. Truthfully, the only time any of us wear pajamas was when we were around our husbands. Well, except Renesmee.

Our interrogation was cut short by a sharp howl in the distance. The girl's all jumped.  
"Was that your dog, Carol?" The pig-tailed girl asked. Carol shook her head.  
"That didn't sound like her." Renesmee smiled, she knew who's dog it was.  
The howl whipped through the air again, this time, closer and lower. Mike and his two friends came to the door. It was obvious they were scared. Mike and Carol acted juvenile in all senses. It must be the small town atmosphere. His friends walked into the room, and looked out Carol's window. Mike shut the window quickly.  
"It's just a coyote, or something." He didn't sound convinced.  
"They're coming to bust us out." Alice whispered, too fast and quiet for any normal person to hear. I looked at her, confused. She smiled and pointed to her cheek. "Make up." I touched my own face and felt my make up. It was smearing. The water fight must have rubbed some of the make up off. Suddenly the room went black. Mike was the first to yell, followed by the shrieks of the girls. I could see perfectly, the girls were all rushing together, to form a little circle. Mike was backing up as far from the window as possible, and his friends were, now, by the doorway again. Renesmee touched my hand. I saw a flash of us being taken home. I nodded. She was aware of the situation. I heard the leaves rustle. I knew that they were scurrying in the rustle of the leaves. Someone was next to the window.  
There was a screech as fingernails drug against the window pane. One of the girls let out a scream. Carol gave a small whimper. With a soft whoosh, the window was opened and a dark figure flew in. I watched as the girls dashed to the other side of the room near the door, only to be greeted by another dark figure. The figure held up his arms and fluttered a black cape. The girls, Mike, and his friends turned to run only to be greeted by the figure that had entered window. I could sense the anxiety in the room grow. Fear and confusion was also coursing through the room. Two more figures came in through the doorway, herding the group into a tight circle. I heard one of the girls sob. I then heard a simultaneous click. With the click, four beams of light shined up on the faces. It was Edward, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmet holding flashlights under their chins.  
"Boo." Edward whispered. The rest of the Cullens laughed. The lights flickered back on.

In the light, I could see they were all dressed up as traditional vampires. Cloaks, and black clothing. The circle of girls started to separate slowly. The girls were still a little afraid of the Cullens in their outfits. It was humorous to see the girls still visibly shaken. Alice lightly punched Jasper.  
"Didn't have us scared for a second." Jasper hugged her.  
"I think you better ask your friends before you say that." Jasper replied. Edward looked amused as he observed Mike's petrified face.  
"I'm sorry for being so mean, but we have family from out of town coming in tonight, and Carlisle and Esme wanted us to have the entire family there. They asked if we would come get you." He was explaining this to Carol. "We called and told Alice we were on our way and we couldn't resist giving you all a bit of a scare, sort of a revenge for the costumes earlier." Carol looked stunned. Probably still shocked from the scare and dazzled by Edward. Edward took my hand and we started to turn.  
"If you don't mind, we're going to use the door this time, it was hard getting in through the window."

"Where's Jakey, dad?" Renesmee asked, once we were outside and out of earshot.  
"He helped with the howl and the lights. He should be in the car." Edward motioned. Renesmee ran ahead and jumped into Emmet's Jeep. It was probably the only vehicle big enough for all of them.  
"Looks like I'm riding with you." Edward smiled as he got inside the Porsche.  
"Thanks for getting us so fast." Alice started. "Our cover would have been blown come morning light." Alice's Porsche beat Emmet's jeep to the house. We were walking into the house when Alice went rigid. She relaxed almost as soon as she had frozen.  
"Angela's here?" She asked. We walked a little faster. I opened the door and came face to face with an lady. She was older and had dark grey hair. Her style looked almost Victorian.  
"You must be the juvenile vampires. I've been waiting for you."

YAY on to the next chapter!  
I think I've got the story mapped out from here on out. Well, it's always due to change. Thanks for all the reviews!


	13. Chapter 13

I have officially gotten the witches involved again. This chapter took no time to write at all, mainly because it is so short. I will start on the other chapter soon.

I have no copyrighted names, therefore; I own nothing.

Cold Moon:

Chapter 13: Ms. Wintours

The older lady had dark grey hair pulled into an old fashioned bun. Her poise was proper and straight. She looked like one of the ladies out of the old Victorian pictures. Her eyes were a startling grey blue color. Her face demanded attention. She was beautiful. Not perfectly beautiful, like a vampire, but she was pretty, and dignified. I looked behind her to notice Carlisle and Esme sitting on the couch, both looking uncomfortable. Angela was sitting beside them, she smiled at us. The lady motioned for us to enter. We all walked around her arm, giving her room, for fear of her grabbing one of us. She shut the door with a wave of her arm. From the looks of it, her visit was a surprise to everyone, including Alice. We all joined Angela on the couch, even Jake. He made a fuss trying to make room for Renesmee, who sat by him. Edward stood up and walked behind the couch and put his hand on my shoulder. She walked over to us and with a wave of her arm, a fire crackled to life in our fireplace. She looked at the fireplace and gave a slight grin. She turned to us and smiled.

"Sorry for the dramatics, your house is rather cold." Her voice was cool, collected, and dignified, as I had imagined it would be. She turned to the fireplace, put her hands out to warm them slightly, then she turned to us. I noticed Alice was staring at her outfit. I looked over at the outfit and noticed how new it was. It had to be a designer outfit. Prada, or Vitton or some other runway name. It was a shiek long sleeved work dress with a scarf wrapped around her neck. She dressed like a fancy business woman.

"My name is Morgana Wintours." She explained, "I am the head council member of the supernatural affairs." She motioned to Angela, who still sat on the couch next to Alice, smiling. "Miss Weber, brought the existence of your family to our attention." She looked around at our house. Edward squeezed my shoulder, to comfort me. I looked up at him and he was smiling.

"I am aware that some of you have special abilities." Morgana looked up at Edward. "By his smile, I can tell he is the mind reader." She looked at the couch. " This young lady here, must be the psychic, by Miss Weber's description, and you." She pointed at Jasper. "Must be the one controlling the moods in the house." She paced the couch and stared at me. "That makes you the wife of the mind reader. You have the ability to block out the Voultri and their mental advances." She gave a nod of approval and continued walking. "And you two." She looked at Renesmee and Jacob. "By the looks of your warm skins, I take it you two are not full vampires." Jacob was the first to speak.

"I'm not a vampire at all." He straightened up. "I'm the werewolf." Morgana smiled at him, as if he was a child.

"From the looks of your appearance, and the full moon outside, I'd say you were a shapeshifter, not a werewolf." Edward and Emmet chuckled at Jacob's put down. "That makes you the hybrid." She looked at Renesmee. "Neither human, nor vampire." Renesmee looked down. Morgana made the word hybrid sound dirty. "Don't mistake my words, child. By not being either, you have the best of all the worlds. You can go out in the sun, interact with humans, and still live with your vampire coven. I am surprised that the other's don't want to be you." Renesmee looked up and smiled. She put her hand out to the woman and touched her hand. The lady looked shocked at the wave of memories that flowed through her mind. She stared at Renesmee for quite some time. Renesmee removed her hand and Ms. Wintours looked at Angela. "Miss Weber left out the detail that you can show memories." Carlisle stood up and extended his hand toward Morgana.

"I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Carlisle Cullen." Morgana extended her hand. She let her hand go limp at the wrist, displaying that she didn't 'shake hands' Carlisle took her hand and kissed the top of her pale skinned hand.

"You must be the leader of this coven." Carlisle frowned.

"We prefer the word, family." Morgana looked shocked. Carlisle continued. "A coven would be vampires that stay together to hunt or for protection. We do not stay together for convenience, we stay because we care about eachother." He motioned to Esme, who stood up and was by Carlisle in an instant. "This is my wife, Esme, and these are my sons, for all practical purposes, Edward, Emmet and Jasper, and these would be my daughters, Rosalie, Alice, and Bella. And you know my granddaughter, Renesmee, and our dear friend Jacob." Carlisle motioned to us as he spoke. This brought back my memory of our first day in Marks, with the Ogdons and then the memory of James. Carlisle had added me into his family even then.

"Jacob's more of a pet." Rosalie smirked. Even in front of a very intimidating witch, Rosalie just had to get the last jab in on Jacob. Morgana looked at all of us, we were clearly not what she had expected.

"Children? You tell people they are your children?"

"Well, adopted children. Edward, Emmet and Alice go by Cullen, Jasper and Rosalie go by the last name of Hale, and our new additions Bella, and Renesmee just joined us and go by Bella's original last name of Swan." Carlisle explained. By now, we were all standing, with the exception of Renesmee and Angela. Ms. Wintours looked us over as if we were a science experiment.

"I'm sorry to sound confused, but when we last talked to vampires, before our fall from power, vampires lived in covens of three or four. Large groups of vampires usually existed with one or two males and many females, almost in a harem like fashion. Your, family, is something completely different." Edward walked up behind Carlisle.

"Our family tries to act as human as we possibly can. We live in places that are dark most of the time, most of us masquerade as teenagers and attend school, and we hold normal family events such as birthdays or weddings. We can't eat human food, because it makes us sick, but we don't drink human blood either." Edward put his hand on my shoulder and his other hand on Renesmee. He smiled.

"Ms. Wintours, you seem tired. We have a guest room if you would like to stay the night here, we will be happy to make a bed up for you." Edward must have read that she was growing tired and confused. Ms. Wintours looked at Edward gratefully.

"I am tired. Miss Weber, perhaps we should go back to your house…" Ms. Wintours let her voice trail. I interrupted her.

"Nonsense, Angela can sleep here also, we have an extra room for her too." Since we never officially finished the rooms in the basement to look like the boy's rooms, we had rooms with extra beds that have never been slept in. Angela and Ms. Wintours looked aprehensive. That's when I remembered. Even though Angela knows most of us fairly well, she and Ms. Wintours have been taught that we are dangerous creatures. "If it would help, we could put another bed in one of the rooms and you two could stay in the same room." I suggested.

"Don't worry about us!" Alice piped up. "We won't bite." I cringed. That was probably the worst way she could have put it. Alice noticed her mistake instantly. "I didn't mean it that way, it was the mood of the sleepover talking." Alice put her head down, as if she were a child, caught telling a lie. Ms. Wintours smiled for the first time and walked over and put her hand on Alice's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it dear, if Miss Weber trusts your family, then so do I."

I believe the next chapter will be full of interviews and such. Ms. Wintours will want to understand them better.

And the Plot will start to thicken in the next chapter to so.

Please Review!

Thanks again!


	14. Chapter 14

I finally got around to finishing this chapter! It's one of my favorites so far. It's long, but worth it! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 14: Breakfast

Ms. Wintours and Angela decided to share one of the big rooms in the basement. The basement was a large walk out basement. Esme had decorated it in neutral colors and the windows were centered to catch the morning sun. Esme loved playing host and enjoyed the company. I had waited until our guests were in their rooms and settled, before Alice and I walked downstairs to give our guests a few extra blankets. Alice flew down the stairs, and I was right behind her. She reached for the door, but I grabbed her hand.

"They don't have our hearing." I reminded her, "It's more polite to knock." Alice smiled sheepishly, and knocked.

"Come in." Angela's voice sounded unsure. Alice opened the door and we both slid in. Ms. Wintours looked regal in her burgundy gown. She must have came with a packed bag. Angela was getting ready to lay on the bed, fully clothed.

"Did you not bring pajamas, Angela?" Alice asked, a little too hopefully. Angela smiled and shook her head.

"It's all right, I don't mind sleeping in these." By this point, Alice was visibly shaking. The smile on her face grew.

"You can borrow some of my clothes!" With that, she grabbed Angela's hand and they were rushing up the stairs, Alice dragging poor Angela behind her. This left Ms. Wintours alone with me. I looked around nervously.

"I brought you some more blankets, Ms. Wintours. Our house may be a little cold. We don't really know if it is or not. We didn't want to take chances." I handed her the blankets. She smiled at me. She was examining me.

"The mind reader's wife, and the newest vampire." She purred. She looked me up and down.

"My name's Bella." I added. She smiled, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I have a habit of putting people's status' in front of their name." She looked at me again. "How do YOU do it?" I was taken back by her question. If I was Edward I would know what she meant, but I had no clue now.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Go to school, being a fairly new vampire. Doesn't the thirst get overpowering?" I genuinely thought about this question.

"I guess, I don't notice it. I can block it out better than most." She noted that in her mind.

"And why do you stay with your captors?" She sat on the bed and stared up at me. Her posture, perfectly straight. "You are strong enough to escape."

"Captors? They didn't kidnap me, I came along willingly. I love Edward, and I wanted to be with him forever. I begged for him to turn me." I was trying not to sound like I was insulted by her question. "Carslile and Edward would not turn someone if there was another way." I sat down on Angela's bed and looked at Ms. Wintours. Why would she think of the Cullens as abductors? "I was bitten by a vampire a year before I was actually turned. Edward sucked the venom out. He did not want me to become a vampire. He wanted me to stay human for as long as possible." Ms. Wintours looked intrigued.

"So you got married, and then he turned you? What caused the change of heart?" she looked at me, smiled and then added. "Sorry about the pun.". I sat my hands on my legs, and looked at Ms. Wintours.

"I died."

"Did he kill you?" She gasped.

"No, he saved me from dying." I assured her. She didn't look convinced.

"What killed you then, dear?"

"Renesmee." Ms. Wintours looked shocked. I decided to elaborate. "Edward and I were married, and we went on our honeymoon. It only took two weeks for me to find out that I was pregnant. I went through the entire 40 weeks of gestation in a matter of a few months. No one knew to warn us, because, no one thought I could get pregnant. When Renesmee came, I was weak and she was in danger of dying if she wasn't born in a hurry, so, they ripped her out. I remember one of my last human moments, I was holding her and hearing that she was girl. She was safe and that was all that mattered. Then I remember the fire." I had never fully talked to any one about Renesmee's birth. It felt good telling someone about my miracle daughter's birth story.

"Fire? What fire are you talking about?"

"You used to talk with vampires, before the witches fell from power, and you don't know about the fire?" I asked, incredulously. Ms. Wintours shook her head.

"I was very young when our secrets were first discovered. Not many of the witches know about vampires at all. That is why we are interviewing your family." She went back to the topic at hand. "Tell me about this fire."

"The fire is the feeling you have when you are bit." I explained, "It is almost indescribable. I felt like my whole body was on fire and I couldn't move to put the flames out. I could hear the voices of my loved ones around me, but they wouldn't put the burning out. I begged for death, and finally, and agonizingly I noticed that my toes weren't burning, my fingers started to lose the fire feeling also, and this continued until I wasn't burning any more. Then the loud thudding sound of my heart stopped. That's when I woke up." I stood up to show that I was done with stories for the night. Ms. Wintours still examined me.

"So Renesmee was not bitten. She was born?" I nodded.

"The Voultri could not have liked that. She would have been a lot like the immortal children they feared so much." She almost sounded amused.

"They thought she was an immortal child, and wanted her dead. We got away from them and they have left us alone, for now." Alice and Angela burst through the doors. Angela was in silky red capris and a short sleeve top.

"And I'll have you an outfit down here by tomorrow." Alice promised. She stopped and her eyes became glazed as she stared off into space. She shook her head and turned to the door.

"Esme, Stephanie Johnson is coming over tomorrow morning!" She called. Esme called down a quiet 'okay'. Angela and Ms. Wintours couldn't hear it.

"That explains the weird looks Alice would sometimes have in school." Angela mused.

"Is there anything you can't see?" Ms. Wintours inquired.

"I can't see Jacob, or any of the shapeshifters." Alice grumbled. "When Jacob comes around my visions go black. Renesmee's kind of the same way. I can see her if I look really hard. It took a few years to even get the slight glimpses, but if she does something that impacts the rest of the family, I can see her." It was obvious that Ms. Wintours was warming up to Alice the easiest.

"And what was your life like before you were a vampire?" Ms. Wintours asked.

"I was in a mental institution." Alice replied matter of factly. Ms. Wintours looked frightened. She had warmed up to Alice until that point. Alice caught what she said.

"In the early 1920's, if you had visions you were put in a mental hospital. I'm not crazy or anything, unless you ask Edward's opinion." She smiled a charming smile. Angela covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Ms. Wintours nodded.

Morning came all too soon at the Cullen house. Ms. Wintours, despite having gone to bed incredibly late, was up really early. She had made sure Angela was awake with her. Since I used to cook, I was in charge of making the bacon, eggs, waffles, omelettes and French toast. Renesmee helped cut up the fruit. The second the Wal-mart opened, Edward had gone and bought as much as he thought we would need for breakfast. We were feeding at least 5 people that ate human food, and Alice said some other friends of Esme's were thinking about visiting before lunch. Esme had called Stephanie to extend an invitation. Stephanie had told Esme that she was planning on stopping by, if that was all right. Jacob was helping himself to seconds and Renesmee was eating an omelette, when Stephanie knocked on the door. Stephanie looked around the living room and could plainly see us in the kitchen. She walked further in.

"Wow, you really outdid yourself with all the food." She gushed. Esme smiled.

"Bella's our chef, today. Please help yourself." Stephanie joined in near Ms. Wintours and gave a small hello. She was introduced to everyone. Stephanie looked at Esme, who still didn't have a plate in front of her.

"Esme? Aren't you going to eat? This looks delicious."

"I just finished." She quickly added, nonchalantly. Stephanie started to cut up her French toast slowly.

"It's almost like a vacation from the boys." She looked up at Esme and added. "Their dad took them fishing today." Carlisle walked over to Esme and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you two go to Seattle today. You've been talking about visiting some of the shops for home decorations." I could tell Stephanie Johnson was officially dazzled.

"Yeah, it sounds… like fun." She looked away from Carlisle and towards Esme. Esme was smiling up at Carlisle. This would be her first one on one time with a human since my wedding. Esme's control was remarkable, there was no fear about her going to Seattle with Stephanie.

"It's going to be cloudy all day, mom. No rain though." Alice confirmed. Angela looked over at Alice, as did Ms. Wintours and Stephanie.

"I watched the Weather Channel this morning?" She made it sound more like a question than an explanation.

"The Weather Channel is so unreliable." Stephanie complained. Trying to make conversation. Esme walked towards her and Carlisle's room.

"Just the same, I'm betting on what Alice says." She smiled at the family's inside joke, and went into her room to get a jacket. Stephanie continued to eat. Edward looked at Alice and nodded. Angela caught the motion and looked over to Edward.

"Alice and I are going to play chess, would you like to join us, Angela?" Edward must have been answering the questions in her mind. Angela considered the invitation and then shook her head.

"I think I might be outmatched." Edward grabbed the chess board and Alice went to sit on the other side. Almost immediately Emmet added in.

"This time I'm betting on Edward." He looked for someone to bet against. He picked on Angela.

"Care to take that bet Angela?" Angela looked at Edward and Alice then to me. She smiled shyly back at Emmet.

"Okay. I've learned to not bet against Alice." She agreed. Emmet grinned.

"Edward won the last time." Stephanie watched Edward and Alice stare at the board for a minute or two before she got bored and walked towards Esme's room. Esme joined her and started to show her the house. Ms. Wintours watched the game closely.

"Who usually wins?" She asked, trying to hide her inerest.

"It depends on the day. Edward has been winning a lot lately, though." I explained. Alice wrinkled her nose. It was a sign that she saw Edward win that match. Edward smiled, smugly. I suddenly had an idea. I walked over toward Alice. I was looking over her shoulder. I stretched my shield out to encompass. Alice's body. Almost immediately, Alice saw what I was doing and smiled. She made her first move. Edward looked surprised, then he looked defeated. He moved a pawn, and Alice grinned. Within a second Alice had won the match. Edward was next to me in lightening speed.

"That's considered cheating, Bella." He purred.  
"What? I was just watching the game." I put my hands up in mock innocence. Alice was bouncing around. Angela looked over to Emmet, who had his mouth all but on the floor.

"I always bet on Alice, and the one time I bet against her, she wins." He looked defeated. He then looked up.

"Witches always get what they want. I should have known to bet against Angela!" He groaned. Edward grabbed me by my sides and started to tickle me. I may be somewhat immuned to pain, but not tickles. I squrimed and giggled as Edward lifted me and spun me around.

"Public display of attention!" Jacob called out from the kitchen. "It's too much for my innocent eyes." He put a hand over his eyes and then one hand over Renesmee's eyes. She let out a small giggle. Edward looked over to Jacob.

"Don't get me started on this tangled web called Jacob's love life." Edward joked. Alice jumped in.

"You have what the pop music industry likes to call Stacy's mom's syndrome." Alice giggled an airy giggle. Jacob turned bright red. Since Renesmee's birth, Jacob's affections toward me had changed completely. We became old and dearest friends. The idea of him trying to take me away from Edward was completely gone. He saw a different future for himself. We hardly ever make reference to Jacob's past with me. Jacob didn't want the talk to go any further. He put up his hands in surrender

"Okay, okay, your family's house, your rules. Continue, lovebirds." He rolled his eyes and went back to eating with Renesmee. Stephanie came out of the room, followed by Esme.

"I'm still a little spooked about us going to Seattle alone. Do you remember that murdering spree that happened there about five years ago?" She shivered. How could we forget. Edward and I almost died there. Hundreds of vampires had died. I had a flash of a memory. Bree. She was one of the vampires that had given up. She was going to join our family and try the vegetarian lifestyle. The Voultri had decided against our plea to keep her. She could have been sitting around this table with us today. If she could control her thirst.

"We lived not too far from Seattle when that happened." Carlisle lovingly hugged Esme. Esme looked at Stephanie.

"Don't worry about Seattle, I'll protect you." Stephanie laughed incredulously. But we all knew that Stephanie was more than protected with Esme near.

With Esme and Stephanie gone, Carlisle sat down in the living room near Angela. Edward sat on the chair and I sat down in front of him and sat my head on his knee. Renesmee and Jacob came up to the group.

"May we go play catch, Momma?" She threw a baseball up and caught it. Rosalie joined the group on the love seat. She and Emmet sat there, and Jasper sat next to Alice who was seated closely to Ms. Wintours. Ms. Wintours was intriguing, and Alice could not deny the fact that Ms. Wintours had wonderful taste in clothes.

"Don't you mean you're going to play fetch, Renesmee?" Rosalie smiled. Jacob's face turned red. Despite the red color, he grinned.

"I almost forgot about the blonde joke of the day, Rosalie." He thought for a moment. "How do you get a blonde's eyes to sparkle?" Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"I don't care." She started to add some more in, but Jacob cut her off.

"Shine a flashlight in her ear!" I smiled and so did Edward. We had heard most of the blonde jokes. But it was fun to see Rosalie get flustered.

"Or shine it on her face." Edward corrected. He pointed to his own face. "Sparkly vampires, remember?" Jacob smiled.

"Why sparkle? I mean, that isn't very intimidating. Those vampires on the scary movies would be laughed out of Hollywood if they 'sparkled.' He used his fingers to air quote the word, sparkle. "Seriously, real men don't sparkle." He smiled smugly at Edward.

"Real men also don't drink out of the toilet." Rosalie shot back. Emmet laughed and patted her on the back. Jacob once again, turned red. He then stuck his tongue out.

"You're right." He lunged towards Rosalie. "Gimme a kiss Rosalie! Tell me if I have toilet breath." He lunged and Rosalie avoided him, easily and pushed him into Alice and Jasper. Alice laughed and Jasper helped him up.

"You kiss me, and I will rip your heart out through your nostrils. Do not try me, pup." She growled. Jacob was cracking up now. The rest of us were laughing too. Jacob stood up straight and looked at Rosalie.

"I'm sorry Rose, it was too tempting." He turned to Edward and me. "Seriously, Bella, Edward, is it okay if we go out and play ball?"

"Have fun you two." Edward laughed. Renesmee and Jacob ran outside to play. Ms. Wintours marvelled at them as they left.

"You do act like a fairly normal family." She looked at each of us. She must have a weird definition of normal if she finds us fairly normal, I thought.

Carlisle turned to Ms. Wintours and Angela.

"Ms. Wintours, were there any questions you wanted to ask?" Angela raised her hand, timidly.

" What are the Voultri, exactly? I know they denied the witches help during the witch hunts, but what do they do in the vampire world?" Carlisle thought about how he was going to word his response.

"They guard us, in a way." He started slowly. "The Voultri are in charge of keeping the vampire secret a secret. If they find a vampire breaking one of the fundamental rules, they are in charge of reinforcing the rules. With Bella, for example, Edward and Alice were told that they either had to change Bella, or kill her before the Voultri visited us."

"So, they do for vampires, what the witches are supposed to do for all of the supernatural beings." Angela confirmed.

"Basically. They are a little more corrupted now, but they started out with good intentions"

"The roads of Hell are paved with good intentions." Jasper mutter quietly. Carlisle paused again. "I was there when the witch council pled for help. The Voultri did not like non vampires telling vampires how to keep their life a secret. That was one of the reasons they denied help." Ms. Wintours looked abashed.

"We weren't intruding. We were simply making sure that the supernatural worlds did not fight. Minor discourse within the groups are not my affair." Emmet looked towards Edward for a better explanation.

"She means that she doesn't care if we kill each other." Edward went on. "As long as we don't take out a shapeshifter in the process." Ms. Wintours nodded at Edward

"A little more calloused than I would have used, but correct, none the less." Ms. Wintours straightened up. "We have been out of power, therefore, none of the supernatural creatures were safe from eachother. The Voultri hunted werewolves into near extinction. We are hoping that now, we can regain our powers and help govern the creatures again." I wasn't sure I liked being refered to as a creature.

"What makes now a good time?" Rosalie asked.

"Our powers are coming back. More and more witches are being found. More people are starting to attain their powers. We just need an audience with the Voultri. We will let them know of our numbers and hope that their memory of us, helps them make the decision to let us back into reign over the supernatural creatures." Alice looked up, as if she just had a vision.

"Would you like a glass of water Ms. Wintours?" She asked. Ms. Wintours nodded.

"I would love a glass of water, Alice." Alice skipped to the kitchen. Suddenly we heard a gasp and the sound of glass shattering. The family was around Alice in the kitchen before the glass was finished shattering. Alice's eyes were glazed over. She was shaking. Jasper quickly took her into his arms. He was desperatly trying to calm her with his moods, to no avail. Her vision must be petrifying. She came to. Her eyes returning to their normal golden brown color.

"The spies Bella and Edward found at La Push." She started. "They weren't really sent to watch the wolves. They were sent to provoke us. There were other spies in the woods. They wanted us to attack them." I had never seen Alice that shaken before. "The surviving spies went to the Voultri. They call what we did an unprovoked attack. They also saw us going into the sun, with our make up." Her voice was high and frantic. She paused and took a ragged breath. "They also plan on showing Aro the vision of Renesmee attacking Mike at the dance. They're going to leave out the fact that she didn't hurt him. They are going to make Renesmee out to be an uncontrollable vampire, hanging around a werewolf. The Voultri have already decided to come here and confront us. They haven't even talked to the spies yet! They're going to attack silently this time. There will not be witnesses. They plan to get rid of us."

"This is an attack on us because we live differently than they do." Jasper reasoned.

"What about Jacob and Renesmee?" Edward asked, rushed.

"If we take them to the meeting place, they will have to fight. If we try to hide them, they will be found and as outnumbered as they will be, the odds don't look good for them." For the first time in over four years, I felt sick.

"How much time do we have?" I couldn't think of a better question for her.

"I don't know, the Voultri haven't planned it yet." Ms. Wintours and Angela joined in on our conversation.

"Looks like we will get to have our conference with the Voultri." Ms. Wintours purred. Edward turned on her.

"Did you plan this? Was this how it would work out for you? They would attack us? Then you could talk to them after they had their victory?" Edward tried not to growl. I could feel him holding back.

"No, I didn't plan it this way." Ms. Wintours tried to calm him down. "It just happened this way, it is to our advantage that they want to see you. I will gather the witches and we will all meet the Voultri with you." She looked excited, even though she tried to hide it. I tried to be the diplomat. I had to keep the peace somehow.

"What do we do now?" I asked weakly. Alice's sad eyes met mine.

"We wait."

~*~

And wait you must! If I don't post a new chapter by May 19th, I will be out of town, well country for two weeks. My trip to Costa Rica starts on the 19th and I fly back home on the 29th. I will continue to brainstorm on my trip. I will be on a trip with a bunch of teachers, so my mind will be on the scenery and Twilight. I will post as soon as I can.


	15. Chapter 15

I leave for Costa Rica in less than 10 hours. I thought I would post this as my parting gift. I will be gone for two weeks, so hang tight. Thanks in advance for the reviews.

Chapter 15: Psychic

My head reeled. How was I supposed to wait? Alice continued to shake. She was still having premonitions. She looked ill. Edward watched her and looked about as nauseous as she did.

"What do you see, Alice?" Emmet asked, anxiously.

"I don't see us winning this one, Emmet." She bit her lip. "So far, I see us hiding. They find us, and set us all on fire. I see us fighting, and we have a better chance. The witches will be safe." Ms. Wintours let out a soft sigh. "The Volturi will have quite a few casualties." Jasper looked at her and smiled. Alice looked down and whispered. "But so will we." Jasper hugged her again. Angela grabbed my hand. I looked to her and she looked petrified. Alice continued. "They want Edward's ability, Bella's shield and my psychic powers." She paused and looked at Edward who heard what she was about to say, he nodded. "Everyone else is, to the Volturi, expendable." Rosalie's eyes grew as she took Emmet's hand. Carlisle walked closer to Alice.

"This is not permanent. We will find a way to be safe." Carlisle kept his hands out to calm everyone. My eyes darted up as I remembered something.

"Renesmee! What about her?" My hands momentarily clenched until I heard Angela's soft whimper. I relaxed my hand. Alice's brows furrowed.

"They don't know what to make of her. They want her dead, since she is an abomination, yet, they also want her power of persuasion. My visions play out differently each time." She looked at Edward. "No, we can't have the others hide. If we give ourselves up, the Volturi will bring the other's back and we will have to kill them as an act of loyalty. They want the 'Cullen' species, as they are now calling us, gone." Rosalie stretched her hand out to touch Alice's shoulders. Alice looked up and smiled a thank you towards her.

"We will ask Jacob's pack to join us in our battle." She added quietly. Carlisle turned his head sharply and quickly asked.

"Will their involvement help us?" He looked hopeful. Alice shook her head.

"The shapeshifter's involvement makes my visions go black. I think, for once, I'd rather not see the future." She leaned into Jasper and rested her head on his shoulder. Jasper laid his chin on top of her head. I didn't have to be able to read minds to know that he was vowing to keep her safe. His eyes blazed. I looked over to Rosalie and Emmet. Emmet had wrapped his arms around Rosalie's waist and Rosalie was leaning against his chest, and she put her hand on Carlisle's shoulder. Edward held me close, and I refused to let go of Angela's hand. Ms. Wintours followed my gaze around the newly formed circle. For the first time ever, I realized just how destructible and human-like we really were.

~*~

That's all for now. I will be back and hopefully writing again shortly. I hope to have the next chapter out around the first of June.


	16. Chapter 16

I'm BACK! Costa Rica was a blast. I was supposed to compare the schools but I kept finding myself thinking, The Cullens could visit here. (The rainy season put a lot of cloud coverage in the area.) I might write about that later.

Oh well, On to the next chapter.

Chapter 16: The Past.

It was nearly impossible to pretend that the world was still in order when Renesmee and Jacob returned. Renesmee is a brilliant child, but she can be unobservant when she wants to be. Jacob, on the other hand took one look at our expressions and centered his attention on me. He rose an eyebrow behind Renesmee's back. I stared back and nodded once. Jacob took in a breath, and held it.

"Renesmee, Have you eaten today?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"I hunted yesterday. I'm not hungry." I took that as my opening.

"I'm going to go hunt. Why don't you finish up some of that homework you have left." I turned to leave and smiled at Jacob.

"I think I'm gonna join Bella. Keep her safe." Jacob stumbled. He was a pathetic liar. Renesmee didn't press the subject. She nodded and skipped upstairs. I walked out of the door, with Jacob closely behind.

A safe distance into the woods, Jacob spoke up.

"How bad is it?" He mumbled looking at my face for clues.

"The Voulturi are planning a secretive attack. They are coming, like before, but this time, no witnesses or wives. They want us exterminated." Jacob shuddered.

"Under what charges?"  
"They only had charges because they had witnesses. They are going to claim that Renesmee is dangerous and then they are going to go for the kill on most of us."

"My pack will join the fight." Jacob stated nobely. I sighed.

"I didn't want your pack involved, but the numbers would be great, and Alice will enjoy their involvement. She doesn't want to see the outcome this time." Jake grimaced.

"It's that bad?" I nodded.

"She doesn't see us winning so far."

"We can all assemble at La Push next week and officially ask the Elders. It's the monthy gathering." I remembered the first time I had attended the gathering. Billy had told the story of the Third Wife. Jacob looked like he could read my mind.

"The story Billy wants to tell is the epic battle of the wolf and the Cold one together as brothers." I smiled. He grinned wickedly. "As they try to save a girl, hell bent on getting into trouble." I lightly punched Jake in the shoulder. Jacob and I started walking towards the house again.

"Don't forget to invite Angela and Ms. Wintours." Jake added. "Lets add more stories to the campfire."

The week flew by. Friday was here before anyone had time to let it sink in. Edward threw the last of our things in the car and Renesmee and Angela slid into the backseat of Edward's Volvo. Ms. Wintours was on a mission to find as many new witches as she could, but Angela had replied that she wouldn't miss this meeting for anything. Renesmee kept asking Angela about me during my first years in high school. Angela was more than thrilled to talk about our high school days, and even promised to show some of her pictures. She thankfully left out my first half of senior year.

"Here we are." Edward announced. He pulled his car to a stop right outside of Jacob's house. Jacob was there to greet us. Renesmee bounded out of the car and lept over to him. "Oh don't stand near the road, Renesmee. Aunt Rosalie is driving and you know how much fun she'd have if she could try to get a good hit in on Jacob." Edward flashed his crooked grin. Renesmee laughed and Jacob joined in with her.

"I'd do more damage to her car." He scoffed. Angela looked uncomfortable. It will take her a little while to get used to the way Jacob and Rosalie argue. The other cars pulled up and the rest got out of the car. Alice and Rosalie had their glasses covering their faces.

"It's supposed to be cloudy all day, drama queens." Jacob called as they walked passed him. Alice turned around.

"With patches of sunlight today, but none on the beach where we're going to hang out right now." Edward put his arm around me and we all walked towards the beach.

"I guess we know what we're doing until dark." Edward added, shaking his head. "Carlisle and Esme are planning on talking with Billy and Sam. They want the young werewolves out of the fight."

"It won't work." Jacob called.

"They can still try." I replied.

The beach was chilly. Or so Angela had told me. I was aware that it was November and the winds were going to be cold, but our bodies didn't register cold like normal bodies. We all wore light jackets, to hold up the charade. Renesmee was bundled up, as was Angela. Jacob wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Jacob and Renesmee were walking with our group. Renesmee, throwing a Frisbee, and Jacob lunging after it. Then he would lop it high in the air and she would have to chase it down. Emmet and Rosalie were walking closer to the water. Emmet kept stepping into the water and looking over to Rosalie, who would yell at him.

"I will kill you Emmet. I had to get my hair done and these are nice clothes. Do NOT splash me." Emmet had his moments of mischief, but even he knew better than to mess with Rosalie. Alice and Jasper were staying close. Alice would prance a head and then skip back to take Jasper's hand. She looked like an overly excited 5 year old. Even for a vampire, Alice was extraordinarily graceful. Angela, Edward and I were near Renesmee and Jacob, talking. Edward rested his arm around my waist. Angela looked up at the Frisbee Renesmee had just thrown. She lifted her hand and the Frisbee took on a life of its own. It swayed and then plopped Jacob on the top of the head. Jacob, stunned, looked towards Edward. The Frisbee then flew off of his head and into the water. Jacob had to go jog into the water to get it. Edward laughed uncontrollably.

"Ah, so you do use your powers for evil, Ms. Weber." he replied when he could finally stop laughing. Jacob glared over towards Edward and then looked impressed.

"I try." Angela shrugged as if it were no big deal. Alice stopped prancing and looked up.

"Uh-oh. Too late." She mumbled. She didn't seem too upset. We looked around in time to hear a man's voice call out.

"Angela?" We followed the sound of the voice to a man standing on top of a hill. He was farther away, and he had been aged five years since we had last seen him. But we could still make out who it was.

"Who is it?" Angela asked, trying to get her eyes to adjust.

"Mike Newton." I replied, shocked. I thought he went away to college. It was too late to run, Mike had already spotted us. He ungracefully made it down the hill into the sand. He was getting closer.

"Angela. It's been forever!" He started, then he caught sight of me. His eyes widened in surprise and shock.

"Bella?" He breathed. His hands were shaking as he reached up to touch my face. I smoothly took a step back. Edward cleared his throat.

"Newton." He glared and nodded. Mike had completely over looked Edward, but now he seemed to understand Edward's meaning. Mike's expression stiffened as he nodded toward Edward.

"Cullen." Angela moved and caught Mike's attention.

"Mike, what are you doing in La Push?" Mike seemed to relax a little around Angela, who was, to him, neutral territory.

"I am home on vacation. This is my last semester before I graduate with my business degree and I wanted to walk through La Push." He looked at her and then looked at the rest of our family. "What happened to Ben? I thought you two were inseparable." Angela shifted her weight. I knew she was no longer with Ben, but like a sister that knew everything, I knew not to ask about it.

"We broke up." She answered plainly. She looked over towards Edward and he nodded. Angela had mastered telepathic communication with Edward.

"That's awful." Mike sounded empathetic. He then turned his attention back to me. "Bella, you look exactly the same as you did at your...wedding." He stared again. "You don't look like you've aged a day."

"It's only been five years, Mike. Not long enough to really change that much." I heard my voice reverberating through my head. The melody of my voice seemed to chime. I would have to work on keeping the bell sounds out of my voice.

"I guess your right." Mike said, ignoring the bells. "You really look, well, different." Mike looked at the new me. I felt uncomfortable being the center of attention. I switched subjects.

"You still dating Jessica?" I watched Mike's expression change from awe stricken to simply stricken.

"We're engaged. The wedding is in June, after I graduate." He smiled, but his face looked like that of martyred endurance.

"You two are perfect for each other." I comforted.

"Just some pre-wedding jitters." Mike gave me a look again. Pausing, as if thinking of a way to word what he wanted to say. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"The pre wedding fears disappear once you start walking down the aisle. Trust me, Newton, you'll be fine." Edward sounded as if he and Mike had been friends since grade school. That was unlike Edward. I gave him a curious look, and Edward looked down at me and grinned. "Bella and I have never been happier." Mike nodded as if he were a kid listening to his older brother give advice. Edward looked off towards Jacob's house. "We'd probably better go." I smiled at Mike. He looked a little more confident in himself. Angela and Edward turned to head back to Jacob's. Jake and Renesmee were already ahead of everyone. Mike took a breath and stepped closer to me.

"I'm really glad I got to see you again." His heart had started beating in overtime. His face was starting to flush.

"It was great seeing you again." I echoed.

"Bella, I hate to be so straight forward, but this will be my only chance. Do you ever imagine what life would be like if, well, you know." Mike's face was now starting to show the blush growing across his face. "If you and I had dated, instead of you dating Cullen? Do you think I would still be nervous about walking down the aisle?" Mike's eyes immediately fell to the floor. It felt like hours for me to shuffle what I was going to say in my mind. In truth, it had only been a few seconds.

"Mike, we wouldn't have worked out. I was meant to be with Edward, and you were meant to be with Jessica. In less than a year you will realize this, and be ashamed for even doubting your feelings for one moment." I knew this would probably be the last time I saw Mike again. Not changing much after five years is one thing. But looking eighteen, when your supposed to be thirty would be a different story. There would be no explanation. I turned to leave and Mike grabbed my hand. He looked down at my hand, shocked at the icy coolness of it. I took my hand back.

"I'll see you around then?" He asked hopefully.

"We'll be around." I corrected, and looked back at Edward. He turned and gave me a smile. He knew Mike was going to say those things. I sighed. Mike muttered an awkward goodbye, and as soon as he turned, I dashed over towards Edward. Mike turned back a few moments later and noticed that I was already with Edward, but he didn't question it.

~*~

I always have a soft spot for Mike. I might bring him into the next chapter for a bit. He's just here to lose. If Bella didn't go with Edward she would have went with Jacob. Mike never had a chance. Oh well. Next chapter.


	17. Chapter 17

This chapter is my least favorite. I can see the battle brewing, but I had to add this in to segue into it. The fight is amongst us.

Chapter 17: Meeting

The flames licked the night sky, and the smoke billowed upwards. The large bon fire was warming up the surrounding area. Jacob and the other wolves were scarfing down the food at a rapid pace. I couldn't help but smell the preservatives and chemicals seeping out of the hotdogs when they were set near the fire. To think, I actually used to eat that. The fire cast eerie shadows on everyone's face. Even with my vision, the shadows caught my attention. My family stood away from the fire and watched as the pack and the rest of the tribe circled around. Jacob took Renesmee's hand and led her to a log, where she sat next to him. Edward and I followed and sat next to them, followed by Jasper and Alice, Rosalie and Emmet and Carlisle and Esme. Angela sat in between Edward and Alice. Due to the last Voulturi threat, most of the younger boys had shape shifted. One of them had shifted during school, during his math test. After that, there were no more secret shape shifters in La Push. The whole tribe was in on it. Everyone now believed in the stories about the 'cold ones', and other than the jokes about our smell, everyone got along great.

"And then the vampire held the dirty thing up and said, No thanks sir, tea time!" Leah roared. Leah had slightly warmed up to my family, but she lived to give us a hard time, especially Rosalie. Jacob covered his mouth, trying to hold back a laugh. Quil and Sam found the joke too funny to ignore. Rosalie growled.

"First off, that's just disgusting. Second, we wouldn't be attracted to THAT. We wouldn't even really notice it, and third, you are sick." Leah laughed again.

"I know I am, blondie, but even you have to admit it was funny." Emmet smiled and nodded.

"I don't hear a lot of vampire jokes, that one was pretty good." He noticed that Rosalie was still scowling. Emmet looked away. Claire had wandered over towards Renesmee and insisted on playing princesses. Renesmee looked over to Jacob, but resigned to playing with Claire. It must be so strange to Claire. Renesmee was her best friend a few years ago, and now they look to be about ten years apart.

"Claire, it's time for the stories." Renesmee reminded her, in almost a begging type of voice. Claire looked over towards the campfire.

"I don't wanna hear Billy's stories. I've all ready heard them ALL!" she whined and sat back down to play tea time." Renesmee looked over.

"Claire, I've never heard the stories. Do you mind if I listen to it?" Claire looked torn between playing and letting Renesmee listen to the stories. She pouted.

"Okay, Nessie, we'll go listen." She led the way back to the campfire. The fire was almost scorching as I sat on the log a few yards from the fire. None of the other people around the fire seemed to notice the flames, but I did. I looked around and noticed that Carlisle had yet to take a seat and Esme and Rosalie were leaning back away from the fire. I was not the only one avoiding the fire. I looked at my skin. Instead of a cool white or cream color, my skin looked almost orange. The lights from the fire made my skin look like crackling fire also. The campfire was nothing compared to my rebirth fire. I can still remember the eternal pain I felt when I was being changed. I shivered, despite the heat. I took my attention off of the fire and looked over to Angela, who was patiently waiting for the ceremony to start. She glanced up and smiled at me. She then immersed herself into staring at the fire. I followed her gaze to small twigs burning in the inferno. As I watched, the twigs came to life and started to twirl at the base of the fire. The scene was partly hidden from the view of the others. Soon, the fire had caught up with the twigs and they stopped dancing and continued to burn. Angela looked back up at me and shrugged her shoulders, then looked at all of us. She stood up.

"I'm a little warm." She stated out loud. "Emmet, Edward, would you mind moving the log back a little bit, so I can cool down?" Edward and Emmet were moving the log before she finished her sentence. Angela was a life saver. I sat down and felt the orange color drain from my face.

"Thanks Angela." Alice smiled gratefully. The tribe turned their head to the clearing. Billy Black appeared. He was being pushed by my dad, and Sue was next to him. Billy looked almost regal as he took the center nearest the flames. The crowd turned their bodies toward him and no one made a sound. Even in his relaxed attire, Billy demanded attention.

"Tonight, we have learned that Cold ones are planning on attacking our new friends." I watched as the group looked from Billy to us, and back to Billy again. "They have asked for our help, Sam will not force anyone to help our friends, but if you will, it will be greatly appreciated. They have helped us fight the Cold ones before, and I believe our alliance has never been stronger with anyone, as it is with the Cullens."

"I will join and help the Cullens." Jacob stood and proclaimed. Jacob's proclamation did not take anyone by surprise.

"I will join in the battle to help the Cullens." Leah's proclamation was a surprise. I turned to her and she shrugged. "If you die, who will I pick on?" She looked around the campfire at the all the startled faces, and she sat down. As much as Leah pretends, deep down, she likes us. Or, so I think.

"I will join the battle also." Many more wolves joined after Leah. There was an energized current flowing through the circle. Billy raised his arm, everyone stopped their excited whispers.

"Are the witches going to join in on the fight also?" Billy directed his question towards Angela. She looked surprised to be noticed. I was actually surprised they noticed her. Billy, nor any of the tribe, had said much to Angela. I wondered if she was working her magic to stay hidden.

"We are planning on being at the fight. The witches hope that there is no need for violence." She delivered her lines with poise and severity. Jacob snorted.

"What fun will it be if the leaches go running before the fight?" He looked at Renesmee and then quickly added, "The bad guys are leaches, not you and your family."

"How will we know when to join the Cullens?" Sam asked. "They don't live in Forks anymore, and we have no idea when the attack will be." Billy looked at everyone in the circle.

"I can't see when the attack will be." Alice shook her head and let it hang. "They won't decide." Billy smiled.

"The battle with be during the Cold moon." Billy stated the fact simply. I looked over to Alice, who still looked confused.

"I'm sorry Billy, but I still don't see them attacking. How do you know it will be during the cold moon?" Billy smiled.

"I have found that the cold ones enjoy theatrics. They love the battle and the show. The perfect lighting for their battle would be during a full moon. And the best time for them to set the battle would be during the cold months. If they plan on exterminating you, they do not want to give your family the chance to build up alliances, so they will advance quickly." I felt my jaw drop. Billy Black knew more about the Volturi than we did.

"So, if they don't set an exact time, and they just decide to attack once they're here, we only have a day or so to plan." I looked toward Billy, and he nodded. "And as long as they don't cross our destinies right away, Alice won't be able to see them." Alice looked up, and was out of her own thoughts.

"So that's why I can't see them?" She looked relieved. Ever since the wolves had come into our lives, Alice had doubted her psychic ability. I was instantly reminded of Victoria. She had been able to take my clothing out of my old house, back in Forks, without Alice having a vision. Had Victoria be able to communicate this to the Volturi?

"I've noticed that there are a lot of new wolves." Jasper roused from his silence. "I think it would be beneficial for them to learn how vampires usually fight." I looked out into the crowd. A few teens looked nervous, while others were boasting and acting excited in their friends presence, but their eyes gave away the fear they were feeling. "We should teach these children how trained vampires fight. Don't worry, we won't hurt anyone, we're just giving demonstrations." Everyone stood and started rushing to the clearing near the beach. Angela stood up and I followed close behind her.

"Bella," Billy Black quietly whispered. I turned around. Angela noticed that I had stopped following her and she turned with me. Billy looked around to make sure the people that were still standing around were not paying attention. "I've also noticed that the clan, the one pursuing you, is one for dirty fights. I would have your family keep an eye out for a surprise attack. One that might cripple the family or make them lose their heads." I nodded, numb from the idea of anyone getting attacked. My dad stayed by Sue, and behind Billy. He was silent. He had learned the truth behind what I truly was just recently, and I know the idea of me fighting in a battle against mythical creatures is a bit much for him. Angela and I started down towards the clearing. While walking I heard a crinkling sound of leaves, crushing beneath a light footstep. I quickly looked around and noticed something skitter into the woods. I thought about following it, but I didn't want to scare everyone, and then look foolish. Angela looked up at me and gave me a look that meant that she was worried.

"I heard a noise, and I'm just a little jumpy." I assured her. She smiled

"Let's go, I really would like to see how vampires and werewolves fight." Her mood helped lift my spirits. But I couldn't shake the feeling that the image I had seen was a pair of red eyes and a flowing black cloak.

~*~

This chapter was hard to write. I am getting right up to the battle. I am close to it, but I needed to iron out a few things. It will be there soon.


	18. Chapter 18

It took a while to write this, but once I got it going, it flowed. I hope you all enjoy this! The attack is among us! Just a warning, This summer I've been under the influences of the Generation Dead series, The Evernight Series, Night World, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, oh and ways to integrate Education and Fun in the classroom. Don't forget the True Blood series, along with my Twilight obsession. That all shows up in here.

Chapter 18: Seattle

The meeting had me scared. Billy had told me that the Volturi might try to pick one of us off, to anger the rest and force a fight. After that night, our family traveled in at least groups of two. The uneasiness that was coursing through my veins had me suggesting that we wear our makeup and stay in the light as much as possible. But with the town of Marks, we still ended up under an overcast sky. Alice, Rosalie and I would go watch Renesmee's cheerleading practice, pretending that we were her ride home. The boys would all ride home together. We tried to avoid Mike and Carol as much as possible. The guys had to admit that it was a great prank and wanted to be around Emmet and Jasper. The girls were not so forgiving. Renesmee received the cold shoulder during practice, and Alice, Rosalie and I might have well have been invisible. Angela's class was the only class that felt right. Our class was now past the Dracula session, and we were reading Pride and Prejudice. Austin's book is perfect for me, but the rest of the class found it boring. Angela spiced it up by comparing Austin's original book, with a newer book, called Pride and Prejudice, and Zombies. Everyday, she read a chapter from the book, and we would compare and contrast it to the original. I have to admit the zombies did make it funny. The words were almost unchanged, except for the plague. In the few weeks it took to finish the book, everyone understood Austin's book. Even Mike started to talk of Pride and Prejudice. Mike tried to act cool, even when his friends sold him out and told the entire class about him freaking out when Edward came at him, dressed as a vampire.

"Hey, the guy makes a creepy vampire." was Mike's usual reply. If only he knew.

~*~

"So, it would be you, me, Angela and Stephanie?" I asked. Esme nodded. It was Saturday and Thanksgiving was less than a week away, and she wanted to get a head start on shopping for everyone. "Why isn't anyone else going?"

"Carlisle, Rosalie, and Emmet are traveling farther south, in hunt of bears. Emmet says it has been too long since they hunted bear. Edward and Nessie are going to La Push to see Jacob, and Alice and Jasper have requested alone time. Jasper has been working so hard to keep the situation calm, and poor Alice has been searching for signs of the Volturi. They need some quiet time. Please, Bella, I would really like to go shopping in Seattle. I thought you wouldn't mind spending time with Angela either." Truth be told, I thought the idea was great. I was a little worried about Edward, but the Volturi would not attack La Push. Demetri, himself, almost lost a battle with a werewolf once. So even if the packs aren't werewolves, they are close enough to scare the Volturi.

"It sounds like fun, I'll call Angela."

Within the hour, we were driving my Ferrari to Seattle. Esme had asked both Angela and Stephanie which car they would like to ride in. My car had won the vote over the Mercedes. I felt like I had a thick layer of oil on my face, as I lounged in the partial sun, with the top of the car down. The makeup was thick and didn't feel as natural as I would have liked. Esme didn't seem too bothered by the makeup. Alice had warned us that she saw patches of sun. Once we made it to Seattle, we parked my car in one of the lots. (Paying extra to ensure that the car would be in once piece when we got back.) Our next adventure was to hunt down the main streets for deals. Stephanie insisted that we visit a toy store, for her two boys.

"We could probably find something in there for Emmet!" I joked. Esme laughed.

"No, remember the super soakers?" I was instantly taken back to the time Emmet barricaded us out of our own house, he made barricade and threw water balloons and used the super soakers on Edward and Jasper. Emmet could be such a kid. While everyone helped Stephanie pick out a present for her boys, I made an excuse to go into the local Dairy Queen and get a drink. Angela raised an eyebrow at me, and I smiled. I'm no psychic, but I know that she wouldn't try to call me on that lie in front of Stephanie. Esme knew I was planning on getting Angela's present. I had gone online and ordered it a few days ago. It made more sense to pick it up, instead of waiting for it to arrive. As soon as I was out of sight, I dashed over to the jewelry store. I gave the man the name that the package would be under, and he handed me the parcel. It makes me uncomfortable to have humans, or anyone, stare at me. This elderly man meant no harm, but it still gave me an uneasy feeling. I felt it in the pit of my stomach, almost a paranoid feeling. I took the package and looked at the contents. Inside, was a small necklace for Angela. The necklace was a hair smaller than my necklace, and much smaller than Rosalie's necklace. The center of the necklace was a silver piece with the Cullen crest molded in the center. After the ordeal with the Volturi, we plan on inviting Angela to join our family. She wouldn't have to live with us, but she was more than welcome to travel with us, and have a family. The idea of Angela not aging and losing everyone she cares for sounds a bit like how I sometimes feel when I think of Charlie, or Renee. No one should be forced to spend eternity alone. I looked deeper into the packaging. The other necklace in the package was a choker, much like Alice's, for Renesmee. She had loved Alice's choker and always wanted something like it. Now she had her very own choker with the family seal. We held off getting her one, until we knew how big she would be once she stopped growing.

I stashed the package into my purse, and walked back to the toy store. Stephanie had decided to get the boys a Disney Car's set. It was perfect for the young boys. Esme offered to carry it back to the car with us, so we could continue our shopping. We stopped at a vintage store and I bought Angela a small Wizard of Oz snow globe. She laughed as she held it. Inside was the Wicked Witch of the West, the bottom of the snow globe had the inscription, "Only bad witches are ugly." We also found a mirror that says "Fairest of them all" Written across the top. It looked like the mirror from Snow White. I grabbed it for Rosalie. She would love it.

By the time everything was loaded into my trunk, I could hear Angela's and Stephanie's stomach growling.

"Would you prefer to head home?" Esme asked, trying to be polite. Stephanie shook her head.

"It's only four thirty. We'll grab some dinner, hit up a few more shops and then we can leave." She thought for a few moments and then smiled. "We passed an Italian restaurant not to long ago. We can walk there."

The restaurant was small, but quaint. Everything looked authentic. I smiled to myself when I saw the first item on the menu was mushroom ravioli. I couldn't help but think of the restaurant Edward had taken me to after the disastrous trip into Port Angeles. The smells were so strong and almost nauseating. I wondered if Esme was having as much trouble with the smells as I was. The garlic made the air thicker, almost like breathing water. I understand the garlic myth now. But I also remember Jasper telling me that other than the smell being bad, garlic was harmless. The waiter walked up to our table and asked if we wanted any drinks, and if we were ready to order.

"I'd like to try the Chicken Nachatta," Stephanie ordered. Angela looked at the menu again.

"I'll take the mushroom ravioli." I smiled. Nice choice. The server looked at me and Esme, waiting for one of us to order. Angela chimed up. "Aren't you and Esme still on that diet, where you only eat early in the morning or late at night?" I looked to her and she winked.

"Yes, we're trying to get in shape, and I heard it was the best way to get your metabolism going." Esme continued. The waiter walked by. My phone rang and I answered it at the table. It was Edward checking in. I knew he would be safe, but he didn't seem so convinced about my safety. I had to reassure him that everything was fine at least two times. After I hung up, I looked up and noticed that Stephanie was staring at me.

"Do the kids at school treat you differently because you're dating someone that is adopted into your family? I don't mean to be rude, Bella, but I think that would be scandalous at my old high school." Angela joined in the conversation.

"I KNOW that would be scandalous at my high school." I shrugged, and did my best to be blasé.

"It's not that big of a deal. I don't really mind what others think. It's not like Edward and I are related."

"I think Bella and Edward liked each other before we invited Bella to join our family." Esme added. As if on cue, Stephanie and Angela's dinner arrived.

After dinner we walked to a few more stores. Nothing was bought. It was getting dark, and we were wandering around, wasting a few more minutes before we headed to the car. We had gone down an alley that was deserted. This led us to a quieter part of the town. Stephanie and Angela were beside us. We looked like a line, taking up space. I started to get the feeling in the pit of my stomach. The paranoid feeling. I shook it off. I'm acting like a child that is afraid of the dark, instead of a vampire. I'm supposed to be the thing in the dark that children are afraid of. I smiled at my rational and continued with the conversation we were engaged in. Then I heard it. The soft foot falls of someone trailing us. We were being followed, just like in Port Angeles. Boy, were these poor boys in for a surprise. Then I listened harder, trying to hear how many were following us. That's when I noticed it. I could hear the sloshy thump thump thump, of Angela's heart and the thudding of Stephanie's heart. But I couldn't hear the heartbeats of whoever was behind us. I quickly turned my head, so fast, that Angela and Stephanie missed it. There was someone following us as we went farther from witnesses.

"Esme, we're being followed." I whispered quickly, and quietly, so that no one else would hear. She looked up, surprised. "We're going to have to run when we hit the corner okay?" She nodded. "Good, warn Stephanie, I'll get Angela." Esme leaned in toward Stephanie to somehow explain our super speed to her and keep her calm. I had no idea what I would say in her predicament. I looked over to Angela, who noticed the change in atmosphere.

"Angela," I whispered. "The cold moon is now." Angela did not comprehend what I was talking about at first. Then I heard her heart start beating faster, and her breathing hitched. "I'm going to grab you and we're going to run, once we hit the turn up here, okay?" She looked numb, but nodded. "Good." I felt myself wanting to shake. The corner was approaching fast. I took a breath and noticed that Esme was slowly reaching her hand towards Stephanie. I took two more steps. In one smooth motion, I grabbed Angela's hands and pulled her up onto my back, I grabbed her legs and ran, much the way Edward used to run with me. Esme had grabbed Stephanie and was carrying her, like she was cradling a child. We dashed down the alley, and I pointed to start zigging through the alleys. We took quick turns. I motioned for us to turn right. I could hear the vampire pursuer overcome the shock of seeing us run and demonstrate our vampire abilities in front of humans. He was starting to dart after us. The turn we made ended in a dead end. Figures. There was no place to hide. There was a dumpster, and a few piles of trash at the side of the dumpster. No time to retrace our steps. We were stuck.

"Quick." I whispered to Esme. "Put them behind the dumpster." Esme and I put Angela and Stephanie behind the dumpster, which was pulled out far enough for them to hide behind it. The dumpster was full of rotting trash and the lid was opened to make for a roof to hide them. The dumpster was rusting and had jagged edges exposed.

"Okay, stay calm and quiet and whatever you do, if something happens to us, do NOT come out of hiding until you see the sun." Angela nodded, knowing what was up. Stephanie looked like she was going into shock. We backed away from the dumpster and prepared to run again when our pursuer dashed in front of our getaway. He was a talk lanky man, with glowing red eyes and messy chocolate hair. He was soon joined by an Asian looking woman. The woman looked to be about my size, with long black hair. The two vampires looked like they were vagabonds, with tattered clothing and mussed hair.

"Cullens." The woman sneered. The man flashed his teeth.

"Where are your human friends?" The man eyed the area thoughtfully.

"They ran the other way. We threw you off of their scent." I put as much anger and bravado in to my voice as possible.

"We'll sniff them out once we're done with you." I hissed at his threat. I used to hate the sound I made when I hissed. But now it feels as if I am a lion that just learned to roar. I could hear the unspoken threat in the hiss. I heard a menacing hiss come from Esme.

"Leave them alone." She warned, leaning and putting her self in front of me. She bared her teeth.

"Golden eyes." The man stated. "Do you know how much the Volturi is offering us for the death or capture of just one of you?" I glared between the two of them. They started to circle, but I wouldn't budge from my stance near the trash bin. They started pacing, noticing that I wasn't leaving my spot. "The Volturi offered the capture a spot on their council, with all the sweet blood we could drink." The man's eyes flashed.

"You broke the law. The woman said gravely." Her smile growing wider. "You exposed your powers to humans." She was trying to justify her reason to attack. The woman looked us over. "The younger one, with the brown curls, she's the one the Volturi specifically asked for, her and the short spiky haired girl." The Volturi did plan to force Alice and me into joining them.

"You're not taking me anywhere." I growled.

"We'll see." The girl sneered. Then she lunged. I felt her body slam into mine, and her teeth sunk into my arm. The pain was instant. I thrashed and knocked her down. I pushed her into the wall. I saw the man jump at Esme and she shoved him into the wall. He fell with a heavy thud on top of the trash lid that was holding above Stephanie and Angela. I lunged at the girl from behind and dug my teeth into her neck. I felt the venom in my mouth flow into her. She screamed a piercing scream and thrashed wildly. She caught a few strands of my hair and was able to scratch my arm, but from my position behind her, she was unable to have her arms make purchase on me. I was able to rip a chunk of her flesh away from her neck before she threw me. Her throw was weak. I landed nicely on my feet. I noticed that Esme was having trouble with the man, who was feinting away; she couldn't catch up to him. Then it happened. I heard a soft intake of breath and then a tearing of skin. Even though I could not see the dumpster, I knew what had happened. Stephanie had leaned out to see the fight and cut her hand on the jagged edge of the dumpster. I could see the image of a single drop of blood forming on her hand.

"Esme! Hold your breath!" I yelled. Esme did as told. I watched the female vampire stop, dead in her tracks, her eyes turning black, instantly. She turned her head and pinpointed the corner of the dumpster where Angela and Stephanie were hiding. I wasted no time. I dove for her neck. I pushed her head to the side and bit down, and twisted. Her neck made a sickening crack sound. She fell to the ground. The man seemed to be fighting his way around Esme and towards the dumpster. He was ferocious. Esme was trying her best to hold him off. Then I heard another soft tear of skin and smelled it, rancid chicken. Angela had cut her hand to help subdue the man. His nose wrinkled as he inhaled the horrible blood. Esme took that chance to bite down into his arm, and pull it away from his torso. The man quickly ran, knowing that he was outnumbered. Esme took after him, leaving his arm behind. Once I was sure the vampire was gone, I ran to the dumpster. Angela looked shaken, and Stephanie looked ill. She caught sight of the Asian vampire with the broken neck and became violently ill. Angela held her hair as Stephanie threw up.

"Angela, I need a lighter." I said trying to sound calm. Angela smiled and a lighter floated out of Stephanie's purse. It bobbed its way towards me. I took it, without question, and lit up a small piece of paper. It ignited instantly. I threw the paper into the dumpster, and watched as the fire started to spread. The smell was putrid. I quickly ran to the arm on the ground. There was a bit of venom excreting from the severed part of the arm. I lifted the arm by the elbow, for fear of the hand grabbing me, and carried it to the dumpster. The vampire was never going to get his arm back. The arm caught fire, like a tinder box. Angela helped me lift and dump the woman's body into the dumpster. Then Angela used her powers to shut one side of the dumpster lid. Only after the woman's body was safely in the flames did Stephanie speak.

"You can't just burn her! We need to call the police! They will understand that it is in self defense. Those people were crazy!" She was rambling.

"Stephanie, we can't take them to the police. The coroner can never see them. They weren't human." Esme appeared, without the man. He must have dashed away. "They were vampires." Even saying it felt cheesy. Stephanie stopped mid sentence and looked at me hard.

"Vampires? They aren't real!" She looked at my serious face, then looked to Angela, who looked just as grave. Then she looked to Esme. "Right Esme?" Esme smiled a comforting smile.

"I'm afraid they were vampires." Stephanie took a step towards her friend.

"How did you know how to defeat them?" She asked. This was the question I was afraid she'd ask. Esme took a step toward her.

"Because Bella and I are vampires too." Stephanie stopped moving and looked around. She shrank back towards Angela. She looked over to Angela.

"How can you stay so calm?" She demanded. Angela looked up and smiled, apologetically.

"Because I'm a witch, I'm here to help protect the Cullens and make sure there are no wars between the worlds of the differently biotic." Stephanie looked trapped and petrified. Just then, I heard a swoosh and saw a flash of dark hair stop in front of me. It was Alice.

"I couldn't see them until they were after you." She sounded slightly frantic. "Then I saw that if I called, they would attack, so I ran the whole way here." She looked at all of us. "I was half way here when I saw that you would be all right, but I still decided to come help you."

"Help us what?" I asked. She looked to me and held up three fingers.

"Three….Two…..one." She said putting down a finger each time she said the number. On one, she looked over to Stephanie, and held out her arms, and caught Stephanie, right as she fainted."

~*~

Now I'm in the midst of it, it should go a lot faster. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. Remember to review!

Thanks again.


	19. Chapter 19

This chapter took forever to write. Sorry about the block. I am also sorry about the Volturi misspelling. I am not sure why my fingers keep doing that. I think I caught it this time. Remember I love reviews.

Chapter 19: The calm before the storm.

The ride home was not so quick. Esme drove with Angela in the passenger seat. Alice and I were on either side of a passed out Stephanie. We knew we had to leave Seattle as fast as possible. The police, or someone, would be attracted to the flames and we did not want to get detained for questioning. I'm not sure what Stephanie is going to do, but I know that the police would only escalate the problem. As we neared Marks, Stephanie started to awaken. She looked at us a little groggy. I hoped for a half second that she believed she had dreamed the whole thing up. She slowly looked at me, then Alice. Suddenly she opened her mouth, and let out the shrillest scream. Her scream lasted less than a half of a second, Alice was somewhat expecting it. Alice wrapped her hand around Stephanie's mouth.

"Please don't scream." Alice soothingly spoke. "You're going to be okay." Stephanie looked at her. "I know what you're going to say. Trust me on that. I assure you, we are not going to attack you or your family. We don't hurt humans." Stephanie gave her a look. "We're vegetarians." She stated matter of factly. "Now, if I remove my hand, will you please calmly discuss this with our family and not scream?" Stephanie nodded. Alice frowned. "You're still considering screaming when I let my hand off of your mouth." Alice sounded hurt. Stephanie relaxed and Alice let her hand fall from her mouth. "That's better."

"How did you know I wanted to scream still?" Stephanie asked, bewildered. I thought I better explain that.

"Alice can see the future."

"Conditionally" Alice added in. Stephanie nodded, once again, numb. Stephanie looked at everyone in the car, again.

"If you're really vampires, why don't your fangs hang down?" Esme laughed, a little relieved to hear Stephanie talking again.

"It's a myth. Our teeth are just like yours, only sharper, and we have venom that excretes from them. Stephanie gulped and went on with her questions.

"How old are you?" She had given a shy look around, awe, taking the place of fear.

"Did you notice that question is always in the top five?" I asked lightening the mood. Alice smiled, and Angela turned around. She didn't really know the Cullen's real ages.

"We died the ages that we look." I started. "Edward, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmet and I are all in our late teens. Esme and Carlisle are in their late twenties or early thirties. Exact ages are hard to remember for Carlisle. Alice and Edward were born at the first of the century, Esme was born a few years afterwards, but outlived Edward and Alice. Rosalie and Emmet were born around 1910 or so, Jasper was born near the Civil War era, and Carlisle was born in the 1600's, so he believes." Stephanie looked shocked.

"What about you?" She asked. I had completely forgotten to include myself.

"I was born in 1985. I died four days short of my 19th birthday." I looked at Alice who was intent on focusing on Stephanie. "Renesmee was born four years ago." Stephanie's eyes bulged. "She's part human and part vampire." I explained. "I died giving birth to her." Stephanie still looked confused. "We'll explain it better once we get to the house." I noticed that it was probably near eleven O'clock. Esme looked at Stephanie in the rearview mirror.

"Will you please call your husband and tell him that we're staying in Seattle for the night? We have to explain all this to you before you go home." She noticed Stephanie hesitating. "I promise everything is all right and you'll be okay. It's just, you need to know how severe this really is." Stephanie nodded and took out her phone and dialed.

~*~

We pulled into the driveway. All the lights were on. I could see a bit of movement near the second story window. I then smelled the musky smell of wolves.

"Jake and a few of his friends are here." I responded, automatically.

"I know," Alice grumbled. "I can't see a thing." Once we entered the house I was nearly knocked over by Edward.

"Bella, my love, are you all right?" He pushed me away enough to look at me. His eyes immediately went to my disshelved look and the bite mark on my arm." Renesmee ran up to me and hugged me also.

"I'm okay." I mumbled into his chest. I pushed him away so that I could look at him. "We killed one, but the other vampire got away. We brought Angela and Stephanie here."

"Jake, Seth, and Leah are going to stay with us for back up, Sam will be here with in a phone call, and..." He comprehended what I had said about Stephanie, who was looking at us with new eyes.

"This explains the camping trips your family takes when the sun is out." She began. "and why I never see anyone eating, or the strange decline in the deer population. My husband has been complaining about that." She sat down on the couch exhausted. Renesmee sat down next to her.

"She's taking this better than Charlie." Emmet laughed.

"But not as good as Bella." Alice remembered. Stephanie shut her eyes.

"Are you feeling nauseous? Do you need a cold compress?" Carlisle asked.

"She's not going into shock, she's just processing everything she's been told, and she's tired." Edward sat on the ottoman.

"Alice can see the future. What other powers does your family posses? Are you even called a family? What do people call a group of vampires?" Stephanie seemed to be rambling.

"A group of vampires is called a coven." Angela replied. "but the Cullens are a family."

"Not all vampires are born with extra abilities." Edward started. "Alice can see the future, I can read minds, Bella can shield people from her mind, Jasper can control moods, and Renesmee can show others her thoughts." Stephanie let out a short laugh.

"Of course" She didn't seem to believe us.

"Don't forget us." Jacob brought attention to himself. Stephanie looked to the unfamiliar voice. "We're shape shifters. We're sworn enemies of vampires. Well, except the Cullens." Stephanie laughed again.

"Sure you are." Carlisle looked amused.

"She's gone into denial."Carlisle continued watching as Jacob walked to the middle of the room, and started taking his shirt off. Stephanie looked at him as if he had gone insane, and then in an instant, his body had contorted and he burst into a russet colored wolf. Stephanie screeched, and Jacob started barking. His bark sounded like a laugh. He padded off toward his room.

"He's changing back and getting some more clothes." Edward assured her. Stephanie shut her eyes again. Angela left the room.

"Good job, mutt, now she's going into shock!" Rosalie yelled into the other room.

"She's fine." Edward assured her. "Now, Bella, what happened?"

"We were walking back towards the car, when we noticed we were being followed. At first, we thought they might be boys up to trouble, but then we noticed that the man following us, didn't have a heart beat. We dashed, he followed, and in the time it took him to find us, Esme and I had hidden Stephanie and Angela. They attacked and we fought back. Stephanie cut her hand and that distracted them, long enough for us to get the upper hand, and then Angela cut her hand to save the man from hunting out Stephanie. The man got away and we burned the female." Edward looked deep in thought.

"The Volturi is going to assume we attacked a hunting vampire. It's going to look as if we chose a human over our own kind."

"But he attacked us. They didn't get close enough to Stephanie or Angela to really know they were human." I defended.

"But, Bella, the Volturi doesn't need much provocation to attack. Edward is just warning us what the Volturi are going to base their charges on." Carlisle walked over to Esme and hugged her. I turned my gaze to Renesmee, who was sitting next to a sleeping Stephanie. Renesmee was holding her hand.

"If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended. That you have but slumbered here, whilst these visions did appear." Edward muttered, musically. Leave it to Edward to quote Shakespeare at a time like this.

"Stephanie isn't going to think she dreamed the whole thing up." I whispered. He smiled while watching her.

"I know, Renesmee is showing her how our family came to be. She's starting with how you came to Forks. It's her favorite story."

"We've told it to her often." I replied as I watched Renesmee stare at Stephanie. I heard Angela reenter the room.

"I just called Ms. Wintours. She is on her way back. I'm afraid she didn't find many witches that would follow her." Alice hugged Angela.

"Any help would be in our favor." Jasper added calmly. Jacob came back into the room, fully dressed. He started to growl.

"Someone's coming." He glared at the door. "It smells like a leach." Edward's head shot up and he stared at the door.

"It's Eleazar." As soon as he said his name, the doorbell rang. Carlisile answered the door and Eleazar walked in.

"Carlisle, my friend, I'm so sorry to barge in, but my family just received a visit from the Volturi. They were doing a surprise inspection of the covens in America. They are not thrilled with the Cullen clans, as they are calling us. They haven't found anything to attack us for, but I think it is only a matter of time." He paused to look at our faces, gauging our reactions before he went on. "While they were inspecting, a vampire with one arm ran up to them, one of their spies. He said he was mercilessly attacked by a group of Cullens while he was hunting. He said his mate was killed. Aro was furious. He wanted me to deliver a message to you myself. They are coming to meet with you to charge you for your crimes. They want the entire coven there. He emphasized the word 'coven'. He said that if your entire coven wasn't there, then your precious town of Marks would burn, and they would hunt you down, along with your pet wolves." Eleazar looked beaten. The message seemed to have aged him. "Carlisle, I don't see your family talking their way out of this one, even with a daughter as wonderful as Bella, or a granddaughter like Renesmee." Jasper started into full war tactics mode.

"How many of the Volturi are here?" He asked.

"Aro, Demetri, Caius, Jane, Alec, and the body guards, that would be about fifteen to twenty. They may even have more that didn't join them to search our house." Jasper was counting us in his head.

"If all the wolves join, we should be fairly evenly matched. The Volturi would not allow that. I must be missing something." He started to muse to himself.

"Jasper, they just need to take one of you out to have you all beaten." Eleazar reminded him. Jasper took the information in and turned to stare at me.

"If they get to Bella, then Alec and Jane can render us defenseless. She must be their first target."

"She was the target this evening." Eleazar added. "I followed Aro and the vampire spy. He took him deep into the woods and reprimanded him for not disposing of the shield. Then he destroyed the vampire for his incompetency." I shuddered. I was the first one on the Volturi hit list. Edward hugged me tightly. He then grabbed a pen and paper, and started scribbling furiously. He finished, and sealed the letter in and envelope and handed it to Eleazar.

"Thank you for all of your help." Edward hugged him, slipping the instructions into his back pocket, so that Eleazar would not see it. "Do not touch Aro, if you can avoid it. We haven't given away too many of our strategies, just in case. After the Volturi leave, have your family pack. You will know where to go. We will send word, somehow. When it is safe to return to your house, we will let you know." Eleazar nodded, somewhat understanding what Edward was talking about. He then hugged everyone in the family, saving me for last. As Eleazar embraced me he whispered in my ear.

"We'll be praying for you, sweet Bella." His breath was raspy, as if he was trying not to cry. I felt my stomach tighten into a knot. The cold moon, which was supposed to be in a month, was now here. Eleazar left, and his absence sent the family into silence. Renesmee broke the silence.

"Eleazar never said where the Volturi wanted to meet." Alice looked up and her eyes glazed. She was having a vision.

"The Wal-mart at the edge of town, near midnight, tomorrow." Alice looked at Renesmee and then she went back to having another vision. "If we try to hide, they will set the Wal-mart on fire. They will kill the firemen that come to save the store, then they will help the fire spread throughout the town, killing everyone." She looked down, avoiding everyone's eyes. Jacob picked up his phone and walked to the other room. Renesmee removed her hand from Stephanie's.

"What about Stephanie?" She asked, looking at Stephanie's sleeping form. Angela smiled.

"We'll get her home tomorrow. We'll get her relocation started. The witches will take care of her." She assured us. "Okay," She said trying to change the subject. "The people in the house that need to sleep should get to sleep, it's late, and tomorrow is going to be busy." I smiled at her attempt to lighten the air. Even Jasper had given up on trying to make the mood merrier. Jacob walked back into the room and sat on the sofa next to Renesmee.

"Sam and the pack are on their way now, they'll be here soon. I think I'll let Leah and Sam sleep. I'll scare them in the morning with the news." I then remembered the presents I had gotten for Renesmee and Angela. I moved away from Edward and went for my purse. I pulled out the package and walked over to Angela.

"In case we don't all make it to Christmas, I wanted to give you your Christmas present early." I handed Renesmee her choker and she smiled as she fastened it to her neck. I then took out the other necklace and walked towards Angela. I handed her the family crest necklace. She unfastened the loop and I put it around her neck.

"Our family would like to extend a welcome for you to join us; you can move with us and never have to worry about leaving your family behind again." Angela looked at the crest. Her fingers touched the symbols lightly. She hugged me tightly and then looked at the rest of the family.

"I'm a Cullen now." She whispered. Emmet looked over at her skeptically.

"I don't know if you want to brag about that, now." Angela looked at the necklace.

"It's an honor that I intend to fight for."

~*~

Hows it going so far? I am nervous to write the battle scenes. I want it to last a while, but I don't want it to drag out over a lot of chapters. Maybe one long chapter, or two. I'm still debating. Let me know your ideas.


	20. Chapter 20

All right! This chapter is up! I think there will be two to three more chapters after this one! I am currently brainstorming another story. But I'll wait till this one is finished before I put another story up. I would greatly appreciate your input on this chapter. It was extremely hard to write. I crammed a few days into one chapter. Oh and I'm adding this in. Today is my birthday! Yay me. So everyone got a present on my birthday. Remember, Reviews are like birthday presents! Thanks for reading.

Chapter 21: The proposition

Angela helped Stephanie wobble down stairs to the basement. Stephanie looked exhausted. I remembered the first time I had my world shaken with the realization that humans were not alone at the top of the food chain. How could Angela be so calm? Then I remembered, Alice had all ready predicted that the witches would be fine. It was the werewolves and vampires that had uncertain fates. Leah and Seth went downstairs in wolf form to get comfortable on the plush dog beds Rosalie bought, intending for the gesture to be a joke. Her joke backfired when she realized that the dog beds were more luxurious that most human beds. Leah and Seth even found the dog food bowls with their names on it funny. This evening feels like an alternate universe. A week ago, anytime the wolves went downstairs to sleep they would tell Rosalie thank you for the bed and she would growl. Now, no one felt like joking. Jacob's head was bobbing, as he fought with the desire to sleep. He was letting his head drop to his chest, and then shake his head, as if he were waking up, and then bob back down again. Renesmee sat next to him on the couch and watched us try to come up with a plan.

"We're going to die, aren't we momma?" She asked solemnly. Everyone stopped breathing. I felt my voice start to shake.

"No, dear, we will be just fine. We all need to think of a plan, that's all." I was a bad liar as a human, and it seems my skills had not improved much. Renesmee looked at me and stood up. She walked over and gave all of us a goodnight hug.

"We got away from the Volturi once, Momma, we can do it again." Her faith made me want to cry. Edward and I followed her upstairs and made sure she was tucked in and we sat next to her bed, just as we have done for the last four years, and we asked her what book she wanted us to read.

"Will you tell me the story of Aida?" She asked. My mind instantly went to the marquee in New York. I had seen the play with Alice.

"Ah, the story about the star crossed lovers?" Edward asked smiling. Renesmee smiled.

"Every story is a love story." She recited the line from the play. "I like hearing stories about people that have a lot to overcome for love."

"Like Romeo and Juliette?" I added in. She shook her head.

"They had it easy. I mean like a vampire hybrid and a werewolf, or a human and a vampire, but Aida will work for me."

"There was a group of people at a museum. The exhibit was over ancient Egypt. There was a mannequin dressed in pharaohs clothing, and jewelry, and even a large square made out of rock. People start passing by all the exhibits. There is a man on one end of the exhibit, examining the pharaohs clothing and there is a woman at the other end looking at the rock, both glance at each other and stop. The world starts to fade away. There is only the two of them in the museum. The trance is quickly broken, and the two turn away. The pharaoh mannequin starts to sing." I was mostly describing how the story looked on Broadway.

Edward and I started telling her the story. She insisted that we stop and sing the songs, when a song part came up in the story. While we were singing a song about Aida, I felt my throat constrict. I would miss this the most, if something bad were to happen. Our little ritual of reading a book with our little girl might seem dull to some parents, but now, all I can think about is how perfect the world would be if Edward and I could spend eternity sitting next to Renesmee's bed telling her stories. I felt the fear of the impending visit lift for a little while, as we told the story. We joked about the princess' theme song from the story. Her song called, "My Strongest Suit."

"That song is a lot like Aunt Alice." Renesmee laughed. Edward and I joined in. The princess makes a point of saying that the best thing about her is her ability to dress up extravagantly. Edward laughed.

"That is Alice's theme song." We all agreed. Renesmee was growing tired as we reached the end of the story.

"Radames and Aida were sentenced to be buried alive in large tombs. But as an act of kindness, the princess decides to bury the two in the same tomb. As the light from the candle starts to dim in the tomb and as the two are losing air and light, Radames promised Aida that he will find her again, even if it takes a thousand years. Then, everything goes black." I paused. Renesmee yawned and then looked at me.

"Then what?" She acts as if she has never heard the story.

"Then we skip back to the beginning of the story, in a modern museum. The man and woman in the museum exhibit of Egypt are suddenly drawn together. They seem to be moving toward the mannequin of the princess. They meet in the middle. It is Radames and Aida, in the present time." Renesmee laid her head down on the pillow.

"Momma?"

"Yes?" I watched her mull over the question in her head.

"If something bad happens to us tomorrow, will you and daddy find me?" I sat on the edge of her bed and Edward stood near me. My hand shot out and grabbed his hand, and gave it a squeeze.

"Even if it takes a thousand years" Edward repeated the line from the play. "But, don't worry, everything will be fine." She nodded and closed her eyes. Edward and I walked out and turned out the light. Once we were a safe distance from Renesmee's room, I grabbed Edward for support. I felt as if my legs were buckling. He stopped and pulled me into his arms. I felt myself sob into his shirt. My sob was dry and sounded false. I feel as if my heart was ripped out of my throat and put into my palm. Edward ran his fingers through my hair and stood there comforting me outside of our room. I knew my entire family could hear me break down. Edward wiped his fingers over my cheeks to wipe away the unshed tears. I walked downstairs, still clutching his shirt. I looked around. Esme was leaning on Carlisle, burying her face into his shirt. Rosalie and Emmet were both looking down, either praying or crying dry tears. Alice and Jasper were huddled together. The sad atmosphere was harder on Jasper than any of us. Edward and I walked over to Alice and Jasper and I put my hand on Jasper's shoulder. Jasper looked up and gave me a grateful smile. Our tender moment was broken by the knock on the door. Alice went to the door and answered it. She didn't look as if she was expecting it. It was Sam, with a pack of wolves close behind. Sam was in human form, while the rest were in wolf form.

"We are here to defend our family. All of you." He motioned to the wolves. Alice ushered all of them in, thirteen in total. The wolves came in and Sam led them downstairs. Carlisle insisted that everyone get some sleep. They had been running all night, they must be exhausted. Jasper promised to talk strategies in the morning. Once the wolves were downstairs, Jasper stood up and looked at me. I tilted my head, as if I were trying to decipher a code he was giving me.

"Bella, they are going to make you the prime target. How is your shield?" He looked gravely at me. I nodded.

"As strong as usual" Since our last fight, I had worked on my shield and I could flex it almost subconsciously, I didn't feel the strain I used to.

"How does your shield do while you are under attack?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I've never tested it." I admitted. He motioned for me to follow him outside. The family followed. He placed Alice against the wall of the house; Edward next to her, while I am about fifteen yards away from them.

"I am going to fight with you, just small training tactics. I want you to put your shield around Alice. Alice will sing a song in her head. Once Edward identifies the song, I will know the shield has slipped." I quickly put my shield around Alice. Alice gave a quick thumbs up. Jasper smiled and lunged at me. He seemed to be everywhere. I was quickly apprehended. I heard Edward growl as Jasper had me pinned, my arms behind my back and my head pulled to the side, exposing my neck, his teeth less than an inch from my throat. I heard a guffaw from Emmet, and sigh from Esme.

"The shield's still there. Good job Bella. Let's do it again." Jasper seemed optimistic. The second time was less embarrassing. I managed to elude Jasper for a few more seconds. I still ended up apprehended, but Alice's mind was still silent to Edward. We practiced for hours. I found it easier to predict Jasper's moves as the night wore on. Jasper was finding it harder to apprehend me. He was still winning every match, but it was taking him longer each time, and my shield never once faltered.

By the time the sun came up, we were sure of two things. First, my shield was still strong, even as I was physically getting beaten, and the second, was that Alice's choice in songs were horrible. After hours of having her sing a song in her head, trying to see if Edward could identify it, she had the tune stuck in her mind and she started to hum it. The song she chose was, "Celebration". I let my shield drop from Alice and walked in doors to find Esme rushing about the kitchen, cooking a huge feast for the wolves and Renesmee. Esme was a whirlwind. She would cook and clean, running at vampire speeds. She was the only vampire in the house. Edward, Alice and Jasper were outside fighting and working on strategies; Rosalie and Emmet were hunting, while Carlisle was at the hospital, trying to save as many people as he could. I walked up to help her. She was quickly polishing a spoon, while cleaning the sink.

"Esme, let me help." I offered to take something and she handed me the spoon. She sighed and looked at the kitchen.

"I need to get this place cleaned up." She announced. "There's so much to clean, and so little time." Even with my vampire eyes, I couldn't see any dirt in the house.

"The place is beautiful; I don't know what you mean, Esme." For the first time this morning, Esme stopped. She looked around the kitchen again, then back at me.

"You know how humans always say, I'll do it tomorrow?" I nodded. "For vampires, time is fairly irrelevant. Everything stretches out before you, suddenly tomorrow, could be ten years from now." She picked up a dish and put it away in one of the cabinets. "Now, the idea that the world for us could stop tonight is frightening. I don't know what to do without the promise of tomorrow." She took a haggard breath. I quickly hugged her and she wrapped her arms around me. "Bella, the presence of you and Renesmee has made our family perfect. I just hope that we will have more time to fully enjoy it."

"Everything will be fine, mom, don't worry. There will be a tomorrow for us." I pushed away from her and looked at all of the eggs on the frying pan. "We better finish this up, before our guests wake up.

During our breakfast, Ms. Wintours came in, followed by three other witches. There were two shy blonde girls, and a young man. All of them looked frightened at the appearance of us. Ms. Wintours never said the word, 'vampire' around them. The young man tried to be friendly and offered his hand to Edward and Jasper. Both shook his hand and his eyes widened at the temperature difference. Ms. Wintours had been discussing strategies with Jasper.

"Now, I was thinking that if I could establish the council before the Volturi started accusing your family, our council could consider your family as a sub species, which needs to be protected. That will make your family untouchable." Jasper nodded, and Ms. Wintours continued. "Then, we could start establishing rules to protect your family from their wrath." It was then that the wolves started coming up from the basement. Sam came walking up, while the rest of the wolves, minus Leah and Seth, who were already at the table, came padding up the stairs. The two shy girls and the young man let out gasps as the wolves appeared at the stairs.

"We didn't bring spare clothes." Sam explained, "We were in a hurry." Alice skipped upstairs. She was down in no time with arm loads of men's clothes.

"This pile is for the guys about Jasper's size." She motioned for Jasper, Edward, and Emmet to come to her side. She did a good impersonation of Vanna, as she displayed Jasper. "This pile is for anyone that is about Edward's size." She showed off Edward. "And finally, this pile is for the tall and muscular, Emmet sizes." We all noted that a lot of the wolves claimed to be Emmet's size. They grabbed the outfits with their teeth and carried them downstairs. In no time at all, they were all dressed and upstairs in human form. The two shy blonde girls and the young man sat closer together, and nearer to Ms. Wintours. Jacob sat at the table and saved a spot for Renesmee, who finally walked down the stairs. They sat at the table and began to get food from the buffet Esme made.

"May we go hunting today, Jacob?" Renesmee asked. Jacob nodded.

"We probably better, Bella, Edward, are you joining us?" Edward nodded, as he sat beside me at the table. Our family made a point of sitting at the table, even if only one of us ate.

"Jasper, what is the plan?" Sam asked, once he and most of the wolves were full. "I have a wife and child at home; I would like to know that we are going against the Cold Ones with a plan." Jasper looked up from his conversation with Alice, and stared at Sam. Even though we should all be afraid for our lives, we were all relatively calm. Jasper must be working on overtime to keep us calm and fight with all the fear we must be projecting his way.

"Our plan is to have the Volturi talk, and then we will hope the witch's council will be able to persuade the Volturi to back down."

"What if they attack first?" Seth asked, while eating a pancake.

"The Volturi is all about theatrics. They will make it look like a court, to help them justify their actions." Angela came up and started joining in the conversation.

"What if the witches cannot back the Volturi down?" She asked, wrapping her fingers around her new pendant.

"The witch's council has never lost a war." The young man recited. Angela looked over to him, and the blondes.

"You must be Robert." She guessed and then looked at the girls. "Alisson, and Avri?" The girls nodded. "Ms. Wintours has told be a bit about all of you. But what you forget is that the witches were nearly hunted into extinction during the seventeen hundreds, and the sixteen hundreds did not fair well for us either." Mark closed his mouth and looked at Angela. "Jasper, I would like to be prepared either way. What if we cannot talk the Volturi down?" Jasper turned to face her.

"We fight." He simply stated. "We protect Bella. She is the shield. If Bella's shield is broken, we will all die in a matter of seconds." The newer wolves looked shocked, as did the witches. Jasper continued to explain. "The Volturi has three main contenders that can attack your mind. The first is Chelsea. She has the ability to change your alliances. Even the closest of bonds can be broken. The other two are Alec and Jane. Jane can make you feel immense pain, while Alec can cut off all senses, leaving you in a stupor. Bella is the only vampire that can block their attacks. Her shield is strong enough to cover everyone. She is priority. If something happens to her, Alec and Jane can attack and no one can escape once they get a hold of you." The witches started to stare at me. I felt Edward put his arm around my waist and we both stood up.

"Which is why, it is important that we eat." He looked at Jacob and Renesmee, who stood up and joined us also. "If you don't mind, we're going to hunt." He turned and I followed him out.

Our hunting trip took hours. Mainly, we were spending time with our little family. When we got back, Stephanie was up and preparing to go home. I rushed up to her.

"We're so sorry to have dragged you into this." Stephanie nodded.

"It's all right, Bella, your family saved my life last night." I dashed into my room and grabbed some money for her. I was back before her mind fully registered that I was missing.

"Take this!" I urged, handing her a stack of hundreds. "It's to get you out of town tonight. Tell your husband that you won it or make up some good reason for having this much money." Stephanie's eyes grew to the size of saucers as I handed the money to her. "Stay out of Marks tonight. Angela will have your cell phone number. If she calls and tells you to move to another town, be prepared to. We will try to get this resolved without you being brought into the Volturi's line of fire." Stephanie put the money into her purse and nodded.

"We'll go to Seattle again." She mumbled. I quieted her before she could say anything else.

"Don't tell us where. If we know, then the Volturi could easily learn." She nodded and gave me a hug. She then hugged everyone, and left. Esme watched Stephanie's car disappear down the driveway. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think she will be in any trouble." I comforted her.

Carlisle came home later in the afternoon. Jasper briefed him on the plan. Carlisle gathered everyone into the main room and had a group prayer. The odds of surviving an argument with the Volturi is a once in a life time thing, and we're planning on attempting it twice in less than a decade. Esme cooked a wonderful meal for the human food eating part of our family. Everyone ate in silence. Rosalie hung close to Jasper, hoping he could put her anxiety to rest. Emmet's ecstatic. He is sure we're going to win. I looked out the window and noticed that the sun had just set. It was twilight. Alice looked up.

"We better get ready. It's almost time." Edward stood up and I took his hand. He looked at me, questioningly. I whispered to him.

"You were right. Twilight is the saddest part of the day." He smiled at me and hugged me again.

"I'm sorry love, I was wrong about it being the safest part of our day." He did remember our conversation one of the first months that I had met him. Alice had planned what everyone was going to wear this evening. She was prepared for the weather to be cold, and for the witches, the weather was a factor in their outfits. We still dressed in nice warm jackets, with pants and gloves. We did not want to attract too much attention from someone that was casually passing by.

Before we knew it, we were all getting into our vehicles and driving down the Wal-Mart. The store was empty and the streets were deserted. I looked over towards the woods. The Wal-Mart was not far from the wooded area. Darkness had engulfed most of the world. Our only light was a few scattered lights hanging in the parking lot. Their light pink glow cast shadows throughout the area. The wolves had all taken on wolf form and spread out throughout the area. Jacob, Leah and Seth stayed near us. Jacob was glued to Renesmee's side. Leah was near Rosalie and Emmet, and Seth was standing by Edward and Jasper. I noted that Angela stood near Alice, she and Renesmee had on their new necklaces displaying the Cullen crest, and they held their heads high. Alice looked up and pointed towards the woods.

"They're heeeere." She sang quietly. We all turned our heads in the direction she pointed. After a few moments I saw the visions that would have haunted my nightmares. The Volturi came floating towards us, their black robes wafting after them. I took a deep breath, in anticipation. Aro was in the front, followed by his guards and Marcus, and Caius was flanking him. Their guards followed closely. I spotted Jane, Alec and Demetri. I quickly counted 17 Volturi members. Aro stopped his group about fifty yards from us. Aro was the first to speak.

"My friends," Aro's words were full of mockery, "we were traveling throughout America, doing inspections of covens and explaining our new laws. After our last visit, we felt the need to change a few laws, and we wanted to make sure everyone understood these laws perfectly." I felt Jane's powers try to infiltrate my shield. Years ago, her power felt like pricks, sharply stabbing at my shield. Now, they feel like nothing more than light taps. I could almost see the haze of Alec's powers floating around my shield. Neither Alec nor Jane looked happy about my shield's strength. Carlisle stepped forward.

"Aro, we are here to listen to your laws that you are putting upon us." Aro looked suspicious of us, but continued.

"We have decided for the good of our species, we will not allow the creation of any more yellow eyed vampires." He watched us, wanting to see if our reaction would cause the fight. Our family stayed still. Edward spoke up.

"I suppose by that law, that we are not allowed to continue with our 'yellow eyed' existence?" Caius smiled.

"You will be requested to partake in normal feeding activities for a vampire." I saw most of my family glare at Caius.

"We are also prohibiting the creation of mixed creatures. Even as a pet, your half vampire child is a danger. She attacked a boy, and went out in full sunlight." Aro smiled and looked at me and Edward. I tensed, and I noticed that Carlisle stepped forward again.

"Aro, you have seen the child through other's minds. She walked into the sun, and did not sparkle. She was wearing makeup. Our family created a makeup that protects us from sparkling." Marcus did not look impressed.

"First, you deny yourselves human blood, now you are going out into the sunlight wearing makeup? You are a disgrace to the vampire species! What is next? Eating human food? Getting a pet dog?" He growled. His growls were met by the growls of the werewolves in the woods and Leah, Seth and Jacob all tensed up, ready to pounce. Aro raised his hand.

"Silence brother, you will have your turn to speak. We are also installing a law stating that the half vampire human creature is not to mate. What's next in this world, a vampire, human shape shifter?" Aro laughed. Jacob growled a ferocious growl toward Aro. Aro straightened up. "I see." He smiled, taking in Jacob's reaction. I hissed. He was talking about Renesmee as if she were cattle. I felt Edward grab my hand. I had shown Aro my weakness. Aro looked amused at my show of anger. Then he straightened up and looked distracted. He was sniffing the air and listening.

"You brought humans?" Aro asked incredulous. "I didn't think I _had_ to make a rule about bringing humans around us" Aro looked angered as Ms. Wintours walked up.

"Aro, I am Ms. Wintours." Aro seemed to recognize her and relax immediately.

"From the witch's council." He smiled. "I remember you." The other vampires smiled. Ms. Wintours looked un phased. Robert and the two blonde girls stepped forward to stand behind Ms. Wintours. Angela stayed near my family in the back.

"Aro, our numbers have grown, as have our strength. For centuries we carried forth the rules and helped guard the secrets of the mythical creatures, the _differently biotic_. Now, we request to be put back into power." Ms. Wintours looked regal as she stood there next to Aro. I could feel the tension in the air. If Ms. Wintours is allowed into power, the Cullens will be fine.

"I would love to install the witches back into power." Aro started. "Unfortunately, the other species prefer to be ruled by creatures with more strength." Ms. Wintours cocked her head.

"Surely, you know of the witches powers." She replied, leaving the threat to hang in the air. Aro put his hands up in the air to mock surrender.

"I do know of the stories, Ms. Wintours. Witches possess the power to turn vampires into humans, thus forcing us to age to our true ages and shrivel up and die." The guard members looked uneasy. "I do also know that the witches that possess such powers were considered old soul witches, their powers were passed down through the blood lines. Most of the old souls were destroyed during the inquisitions." He smiled kindly down at Ms. Wintours, who still held her ground. "If you are an old soul, you would be the rightful ruler of the council. The witch that possesses the power to turn vampires back into their human form is rare. But since I am quite old, as are my brothers and my guard, and the Cullens are so very against violence and death." He let his voice trail as he watched our reactions, waiting for one of us to spring. "How about if you turn the youngest vampire back into their human form? They will only age a few years and that would prove to the other creatures that you are the rightful ruler of the council." The wolves relaxed a little and looked around. I did a quick scan of the guards. None of them looked like newborns.

"Agreed," Ms. Wintours nodded. "I'll turn the youngest vampire back into their human form, and then the witches will be allowed back into power." Aro smiled at the invitation. He raised his hand and pointed his bony finger towards me.

"I do believe that Bella Cullen is the newest arrival into the vampire world. If you can change her back into a human, we will be convinced of your power." In that instant, Aro's words made sense. If I am transformed back into a human I will age five years, and my shield will only cover me. I will be an easy target and my family will not be shielded from Jane or Alec. I could sense Jane's attacks probing at the edge of my shield and I could feel Alec's mist go around the shield trying to break through. If Ms. Wintours turns me into a human, Renesmee, Jacob, the witches my family and Edward are doomed. Edward hissed, and put his arm in front of me, pushing me behind him.

"NO!" Rosalie screamed and she dashed over to my side. Her quick movement startled a guard member and he rushed forward to grab her, but he was met by Leah's fierce teeth. Leah had placed herself completely around Rosalie. She was guarding her and growling. Rosalie gave Leah a shocked look, and Leah shrugged a shoulder in reply. I watched Ms. Wintours nod and close her eyes. She started mumbling an incantation. She raised her hands up and her fingers twisted and pointed straight at me. I bit my lip and closed my eyes.

Ms. Wintours had walked right into Aro's trap.

~*~  
Of course I'm turning this into a cliff hanger moment! It takes me about a week or two to post chapters. I will try to get the next one in sooner. I only foresee two or three chapters after this one. As always thank you in advance for the reviews.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 is now up! The big battle! I have had the ending in my head forever, so the next chapter is almost finished as well. I just have to smooth over a few more details.

Happy belated Birthday agirl2224! I tried to post this for your birthday, but you wouldn't have liked it if I did. I had to fix a lot on it yesterday. Well I hope everyone likes this chapter. ONE MORE LEFT!

Chapter 21: Magic

I braced myself. Thoughts were coursing through my brain. Will this hurt? What if my blood smells even stronger as a human? Will everyone be able to resist? What if I age and die? What if I can't be changed back? I did a quick evaluation of myself before I opened my eyes. Everything felt normal. I still felt strong. I could hear the Volturi's breaths over fifty yards away. Everything was normal. I opened my eyes and saw Ms. Wintours with her eyes closed and still chanting. I always assumed the transformation would be quick. Maybe I am transformed. I took a quick looked around and everything was still in sharp focus. My senses were still vampire senses. I saw Edward tensed, holding his breath, fearing for the worst. Renesmee had her arms wrapped around me. Ms. Wintours opened her eyes and looked at me. She looked unsure of herself and awkwardly put her hands down. She frowned.

"Still waiting?" Aro mocked. Ms. Wintours looked up at him, defeated.

"I'd never learned the secrets of the old souls." She confessed. Her shoulders sagged, and for the first time, her façade of age, was showing.

"You see, Ms. Wintours, until we have a real old soul witch to claim the council, it would be too dangerous to have you in power, with no way to control your subjects." Aro looked proud, like a teacher that has just resolved a school squabble. "Now, why don't you and your pupils run along, before we dispose of the rest of the witches." Ms. Wintours looked at him curiously, but turned to walk to the back of the group.

"Better yet," Caius started, "Stay, and see what happens when you interfere with the Volturi laws." Edward tilted his head as if something had caught his attention.

"It was you?" Edward asked, disgusted. "You were supposed to help them!" He growled. For the first time, Marcus looked amused. Edward turned to Ms. Wintours. "It was the Volturi that exposed the witches to the humans during the inquisition. They feared your growing power and let your secrets and weaknesses out so that you could be hunted down into extinction." Ms. Wintours turned on her heels and started screeching.

"You exposed us!" She was growing angrier by the second. "And then denied us help when we asked for it! You should all rot in a murky grave!" Marcus smiled.

"We believe that the strongest survive. Your rule was due to come to an end." He stated simply. Ms. Wintours continued to walk back, followed by three of her pupils. I watched the last of my hope walk to the back of our group. The witches would be all right, but my family isn't going to do as well.

"Renesmee Cullen. Please come forward." Aro commanded. Renesmee looked up at me, her eyes conveying all the feelings I was having. I walked forward with her. We were a few yards in front of the rest of our family. Jacob rushed over and leaned against her. I was on the other side with my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Aro and smiled.

"Yes, Aro?" She asked sweetly. He smiled. Renesmee still possessed the power to make others fall in love with her.

"Renesmee, dear, I would like to know exactly what happened when you went into the sun." Aro motioned her to come forward. Renesmee stood still. She closed her eyes and I could tell Aro was seeing her visions. He stood motionless for a few moments. Renesmee was the first to open her eyes. She put her hand on Jacob's head. Aro opened his eyes and looked at his brothers.

"She has a remarkable gift. She doesn't need physical contact to project her visions."

"What is it that you saw, Aro?" Marcus demanded. Aro smiled.

"They are right, her family went out into the sun, but they did not sparkle, none of them. Then she showed her feelings toward the boy that had made fun of her family. She pushed him down, but refrained from biting him. She isn't posing a threat to the Volturi." Aro admitted.

"No, we must not go back on our decision." Caius argued. "The mixed breeds are too dangerous and must be disposed of immediately." The rest of our family growled. Renesmee took a step back.

"You said we could not create anymore." Carlisle's voice sounded strained. "You also prohibited her from having children, but you never said that she would have to be killed." Caius looked over towards Carlisle. Rosalie joined in.

"Can't Renesmee be apart of a Grandfather clause?" She questioned. Caius snarled.

"The Volturi does not work like the American government. If she is illegal, then she must be disposed of. We can't go around making exceptions to the rules." His face had contorted into a snarl. Aro raised his hands to quiet the growls and hisses.

"We must consider all of the options." Aro reminded both groups. I glanced over toward Alec and Jane, both were looking strained, trying to get their powers past my shield. All of the Volturi looked nervous and unsure. Without Alec and Jane keeping our minds locked, Jasper was free to work his powers. The Volturi was crumbling. Marcus was indifferent; Caius wanted all of us destroyed, while Aro wanted half of us for his collection. I could see the way he was eyeing Renesmee. He wanted her to join his collection along with the rest of us. He was not going to allow Marcus to destroy her quite so easily.

"Brothers? We should have a conference." Aro smiled towards us. I didn't trust his smile. He took a few steps back to join his brothers. They turned and formed a small circle, both brothers offering Aro their hands. I turned around to look at Edward, who was only a few feet behind me. The rest of the family was a few yards behind him. I saw something shift in my peripheral vision. It was Angela. She must be working her powers to help her blend in. Edward walked up behind us during the conference. I turned around and noticed that Demetri was anxious. He looked like he was about to pace. His eyes were darting around looking for a place to fight or flee. Jasper was pushing out feelings of intimidation towards him. Alec and Jane seemed to cower near each other. Aro , Caius and Marcus turned to face us. They took a collective step backwards.

"I believe your family is not a threat; however my brother thinks we need to attack." Aro stated calmly. Marcus turned eyes to Demetri and smiled. In an instant Demetri lunged. He was aiming at me. Edward gave me a hard shove backwards, sending me back towards my family. He flew towards Demetri, snarling. Renesmee jumped on Jacob's back and Jacob tore off toward the woods. The rest of the wolves descended from the woods, their eyes glowing in the night. Rosalie dashed up towards the front. She and Leah seemed determined to help with the fight together. Alice turned her eyes toward me. She must have had a vision. In that second, the rest of the guard rushed toward the group. Aro, Marcus and Caius stayed behind. Alec and Jane stayed behind them. The vampires clashed. It was fairly even. I heard Rosalie shriek. One of the guard members dug his nails into her arm. Emmet was right behind him. Emmet picked the guy up, as if he weighed nothing, and heaved him into the woods. I then saw Seth tear into another guard. He took a chunk of flesh from the side of one of the vampires. I was left, temporarily forgotten. I saw Edward and Demetri fight briefly. Demetri took a swing at Edward and the hit connected with Edward's body, sending Edward flying at an angle. Edward was a few yards away, on the ground, slightly stunned. Demetri looked up, remembering his original target. His eyes met mine. He lunged.

I dodged his moves. Jasper had trained with me the night before, and Jasper's techniques were a little more advanced than Demetri's. My fight was purely defensive. He had me a few times, and I had given him a small scratch across the face, but for the most part, we were playing a game of keep away.

"Bella watch out!" Alice screamed. I heard her cry and turned to her. That was my mistake. Demetri's leg kicked my legs out from under me. I felt for a second that time had slowed down. I saw Edward rushing to help me. I saw Alice wince, knowing she was the one that helped her own vision come true. I saw Jacob come running back from the woods, without Renesmee. She was safely hidden. I felt my body hit the ground.

In that instant, time sped up, and started going even faster, as if to make up for slowing down. Demetri was all over me. He had my arms wrenched behind my back, and his free hand had shoved my head to a side. His teeth were inches from my skin. I could feel his pride radiating off of him.

"Everyone stop, or she dies!" He screamed. I heard the fight go silent. No one was fighting. I was facing Aro, Marcu, and Caius. Jane and Alec were farther back, avoiding the fight. Jane looked as giddy as Alice. Her little hands pulled together almost in a clap. She was grinning. I felt her attacks grow stronger around my shield. I saw Edward out of the corner of my eye. He was motionless. He looked cornered. He wanted to spring into attack, but he knew that if he attacked, I would be a goner. Aro looked slightly remorseful.

"Bella, if you and your family join us, we will all go away." He smiled.

"Bella, we can join, it will save you." Edward pleaded. I heard his whisper, his voice frantic. "We'll join." He said quietly. "Please."

"Aro, it won't work this time!" Caius bellowed. "She's too dangerous. No one would have a warning if she decided to attack. She will only get stronger. She must be destroyed. You can keep the telepath, and the psychic, but the shield will be destroyed. You have been out voted." Caius gave Demetri a stern look and a nod. Demetri smiled.

"With the death of you, will be the death of the Cullen clan. Your family will follow closely behind you." He whispered. Then I heard it. He took an intake of breath and prepared to strike, much like a snake, going for the kill on a rodent.

"Bella! No! LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!" Angela came running between the groups of vampires, her hands raised toward Demetri. I thought I saw a small spark leap from her fingers. Demetri smiled at her and then stopped. I looked up at him and noticed that his smile had faded. He was now looking ill. His arms were shaking. I was able to wrench my arms out of his grip. I quickly scrambled away from him and into Edward's arms. Edward held me tight. Demetri coughed, and he coughed again, this time his cough produced dust from his mouth. His body wretched violently, his shoulder blades looked as if they were popping out of his back. He was now on his knees, his head flailed upwards toward the moon, convulsing. His mouth dropped open. In a matter of seconds, his beautiful features started aging. His eyes became sunken and black; his skin had turned to wrinkles, and then started pulling tight against the bone. His pale skin was white, and then bones started to protrude through the flesh. Demetri fell to the ground, his body no longer moving. His clothes started to deteriorate, as if lye had been poured upon them. His head turned toward me and I saw his blank eyes shrivel into the sockets. His last act was to open his mouth, and I watched his gleaming white teeth fall from his jaw. His bones started to dry and then decay. Within the minute dust was the only thing in Demetri's place. No one spoke for a few seconds. Everyone was too shocked. Angela moved closer to the place where Demetri's body used to be. She carefully stepped around it. She ran up to Edward and me and hugged us.

"That's impossible." Marcus sputtered. "The only one that could do that was an.."

"Old soul," Angela finished, her confidence growing. Aro's mouth had been hanging open slightly, as he took Angela's words in.

"But we made sure to exterminate all of the Old souls." He seemed flummoxed. Angela took a step forward.

"My ancestors took to hiding. They lived as humans did and passed their knowledge down from mother to daughter. Our fight tonight brought it out. Now if I am correct, my show of power means that the witches are now head of council." Aro nodded numbly. He could not argue. "My first act as head council is to declare the Cullens a sub species of vampires. We will refer to them as the, 'golden eyed' vampires. They will be protected. There is to be no law stating that they have to follow the diets of the Volturi." She looked at everyone. The guard had dashed back to the Volturi's side, and even Renesmee was back near Angela. "Renesmee is also considered a hybrid. She is protected also. She is allowed to have children, and if more of these hybrids are created, they are acceptable, as long as they adhere to the laws of mythical creatures." Marcus looked sick, as did the rest of the Volturi. Aro tried to look defiant. Angela must have been able to read his posture,

"If you doubt my powers Aro, I could demonstrate it again." She offered, "I hear my friend Bella, doesn't like Jane much." She smiled and let the threat linger in the air. Jane gasped and took a step to place Alec in front of her. She glared at Angela. Aro put his hands up.

"No, no, dear Angela. I trust your ability as an Old Soul. I was just wondering about our position now." He said, trying to keep Angela from taking his collection of gifted vampires away. She thought for a moment.

"The council will meet in Forks, Washington. I want two representatives from every species. We will ensure that our meetings are never during a full moon, nor during the day." She looked at Carlisle and smiled. "I have chosen Carlisle to help decide who represents their species in the council." She stood a little taller, making herself look bigger. "The council will not disband the Volturi, and we will not disrupt your home in Volterra. You may still protect it, just as we hope you understand that Forks will be a safe haven for the council. Now, I would appreciate it, if your coven left the town of Marks and refrain from hunting with in a hundred miles of the city borders." The brothers joined together near the front of the line, they were only feet from Angela.

"It seems we have nothing more to say to the Cullens. We shall return to Volterra." Caius replied and the Volturi turned and started gliding away. We watched the figures disappear slowly. I was grateful to see them leave. Jane turned and gave me one last glare before her silhouette disappeared into the woods.

When we were sure the Volturi were gone, I hugged Angela.

"Thank you for keeping us safe." Angela returned the hug and looked at the rest of our group. The witches were still there, near the back. Ms. Wintours looked at Angela differently.

"Why didn't you tell us you were an Old Soul?" Angela looked away from our family.

"I honestly didn't know. I just knew that my mother had told me stories about my family having witches in the bloodline." Angela shrugged.

"How did you know how to use the spell? You had told me earlier that you were too inexperienced to do the spell and turn vampires into humans." I marveled at how Angela seemed to almost glow.

"I am too inexperienced to know the spell. I remember once being told by Ms. Wintours, Old Souls come into their power once they accept themselves and their destiny. I didn't accept my destiny as a witch until your family gave me the necklace. I then had a family and a purpose for living for a few centuries." Angela looked at Renesmee and then me, "The Cullens gave me a purpose. When I saw Bella in danger I snapped and I wanted that vampire gone. I didn't care where he went, I just wanted my family to be safe, the sparks flew from my fingertips and before I knew what I had done, he shriveled up." Angela admitted. Ms. Wintours looked stunned.

"No one messes with our new youngest sister!" Emmet proclaimed proudly. "She makes newborns look tame." The family gathered around Angela.

"So, who are the representatives going to be?" Jasper asked calmly.

"I was hoping Carlisle would be one for the golden eyed vampires. And from there, I do not know. Sam and Jacob will represent the shape shifters. I guess Stephanie could be a human representative, since not many humans are allowed to know about mythical creatures and live." Angela looked overwhelmed. "I'm sure my family will help me find werewolf representatives and red eyed vampire representatives." Renesmee hugged Jacob and Jacob kept his arm around her. Edward glared at Jacob first, then smiled. It was a time for celebration. He wrapped me in his arms and the world seemed to be perfect once more.

"Stephanie! We should call her and let her know that she can return to Marks." Esme reminded. "Angela, may I call her and give her the good news?" Angela nodded. Then she smiled

"I have a special job for our new human representative." I tilted my head and looked at her.

"A job? What would you like her to do?" Angela gave me a devilish smile.

"A project I've been contemplating called, Operation Daybreak."

~*~

Operation Daybreak? I had to leave you wanting to read the final chapter! Remember Reviews are loved. I'm so excited about the ending.


	22. Chapter 22

YAY over 200 reviews! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the story. This is the final Chapter! I hope everyone loves it. Let me know what you think of the surprise character that's been there all along. Remember Reviews are loved. Thanks again

Chapter 22: Full Circle

"Michelle Short... Ann Stone... Renesmee Swan." The principal announced her name, over the montage of graduation music blared through the speakers. The entire family; shape shifters, witches, the Cullens, Charlie, Sue, and Angela. (Who was on stage with the rest of the teachers) was there, cheering her on. The sun was bearing down on the football field. We stood up in the bleachers, cheering for her as she walked across the stage. She received her picture, shook hands with two of the officials and raised her diploma high, switching her tassel over. The wolves gave out cat calls, cheering her on again. This was my little girl's big day; her first ever graduation from high school.

Rosalie and Emmet moved out and rented a house a few miles away from our house. They were married again after they graduated. Alice and Jasper intend to get married this year. Alice prefers summer weddings. She loves being able to foresee if it is going to rain on her wedding day. She has been gushing about this being her first wedding in the sun. She fully intends to pull out all the stops. Edward and I decided not to get married in the town of Marks. We were married within the last decade, and I was planning on working on a more important wedding: Renesmee's.

Jacob came to Edward and me earlier this week, asking for Renesmee's hand in marriage. We had given our blessing, on two conditions. The first condition was that Renesmee had to agree and the wedding had to be on her terms, with no pressure from Jacob, and the second was that Jacob was not to whisper a word of this to anyone in the family, including Alice. This was the first secret ever kept under the Cullen household. With Jacob's future being blank, Alice won't see the proposal until Renesmee wants to announce it.

We met up with Renesmee after the ceremony. The only sparkle we could see was from her smile. Her smile lit up the entire football field. She ran straight into Jacob's arms.

"I have to admit, for the second time in my life, I'm jealous of Jacob Black." Edward mused. I pushed him as we walked closer to Renesmee. She smiled and lunged into our arms.

"You know I love you too, daddy." She whispered. Renesmee looked the same age as I did. Her body stopped aging about a year ago. She would be able to pass as a sophomore in high school when we moved and started school in a year. Renesmee wanted to try college first, so we conceded to try and hold off a move until after her college. Or perhaps we would go to high school again, while she finished up college. Our life in Marks was coming to an end. A few days ago, Mrs. Ogdon made a comment to Esme at the grocery store. She asked Esme for her beauty secrets because she hasn't aged a day since they met four years ago. Her daughter had made a comment that I was a freak and never changed, after four years, nothing about me had changed. The warning signs were starting to show. Carlisle said we had only a year or two left at Marks, max.

"Angela, why couldn't Stephanie come to my graduation?" Renesmee asked innocently. Angela patted her back as they walked towards the cars.

"She has to work on her project. It helps for her cover story if she doesn't make too many visits down here. Once a month, for our council sessions is risky enough." Renesmee nodded.

"So is that why you relocated her and her family?" She asked.

"Yes, we thought it was too risky to have her closely connected to Marks or Forks, so we moved her to Arizona and changed her family's last name."

When we returned home, there was a box wrapped in brown paper. There was a note attached to the box. It was addressed to Renesmee.

"Dear 'Nessie,

Sorry I couldn't make it to your graduation. Blame Angela. I have missed you and your family and I can't wait till our next council meeting to catch up and hear all about your graduation party. Do me a favor and tell Angela that Operation Daybreak is a go. I have a publisher. Also, tell her that I meant no disrespect to her for sending the first copy to you. You were my muse. Without you, this would have never been.

Tell me what you think,

Your friend forever,

Stephenie M."

"M?" Renesmee read the letter aloud. Angela nodded.

"Stephenie Johnson was too bland for a writer's name, so we went with a new one. It's edgier, attracts the readers' eyes. We also changed the spelling of her first name, to help it look more original" Angela explained.

Renesmee tore the box apart and looked at the paper back book she was sent. She held it up to Angela. It was a fairly thick book.

"Twilight? What does this have to do with Operation Daybreak? Angela smiled.

"Stephenie John- er, I mean, Meyer has been writing a book about your family." She watched to see the look on everyone's face. She held her hands up.

"I know that sounds scary, but I have learned something from my years of teaching high school." She waited for everyone to calm down. "If you want to discredit something, make it popular."

"I don't get it." Emmet confessed. The rest of us nodded in agreement. Jasper nodded.

"It's a battle tactic."

"Exactly," Angela smiled. "I've been working with Stephenie to turn this book into a complete romance novel. Every little bit is true, the fact that your family sparkles, and are vegetarians, to the part about your golden eyes. Now, you will be considered Twilight vampires. Anytime someone sees you, they will assume that your family got carried away with the book, and dressed the part. The idea of vampires that sparkle, is so absurd to most people, that they will assume the story is completely fake, insult the book, and go about the rest of their lives believing the stories of Count Dracula and Blood Ties" She paused a moment to gauge our response. "I am also working with the other human representative, Charlaine Harris, who is creating a book about a southern vampire. Nothing in that story is true; I believe it will keep people confused." Renesmee looked at the book again. She opened the book to the middle of the story.

"You had Stephenie write a novel about my daughter and her dating life?" Edward asked confused. Angela shook her head.

"Your daughter isn't going to be in this book, nor the next. She'll be in soon, depending on how much we add in the stories. The books follow your life, Bella. From the time you first moved to Forks, to hopefully, after your first encounter with the Volturi. When Stephenie fell asleep here, after learning about your family, Renesmee showed her how her family came to be, from Bella's point of view." Edward nodded.

"Because that's how Bella told you." Renesmee nodded.

"Stephenie told me about her strange dream that night, not knowing that it was the absolute truth. She then joked about the story making a perfect novel. I laughed it off. Then I started thinking about it. It seemed like the perfect cover to help your family stay hidden." Renesmee handed the Twilight book over to me. I flipped through the book and picked out a few paragraphs. I read one out loud.

"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him – and I didn't know how potent that part might be- that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." I smiled, remembering when I thought that. I know Stephenie might have changed a few words and pieces, but she caught the feeling perfectly.

"She turned us into a chick flick!" Emmet roared. "Where's the action?"

"There's a part about James losing his head near the end." Angela offered. Emmet considered this and nodded.

"Works for me." He chuckled.

"Now, it will be a small inconvenience for your family for a bit. I believe that when we move next, we will have to go by another name. But I think this book will be popular for a few years and then fade into the background. Vampire books are a dime a dozen. Alice looked away, she was having a vision.

"I see the craze lasting a while Angela. I see movies and memorabilia, and, Oh! I see an action figure of me!" She started to bounce. "That's so neat, a little me." She laughed for a second, and then noticed we were all still staring at her. "I believe the story of Bella and Edward will be around for quite a few years. I see it having a Romeo and Juliette type appeal to teenagers. " Angela took the book from my hands and flipped though it.

"It's just a small book; I don't see how that much could come from it." She confessed tossing the book to Alice. I held up my hand and caught the book before Alice could.

"I know you're new, Angela, so we'll forgive you this time. But this is a very important lesson you have to learn, in order to be a Cullen. Never bet against Alice." Angela smiled and sat on the couch to start reading the first draft. Renesmee joined her. Angela handed the book to Renesmee, who started reading it aloud for everyone to hear. I stood up and took Edward's hand. We headed toward the door. Esme watched us walk towards the door, before she spoke.

"Don't you two want to hear the story?" She asked. I turned and smiled at her.

"I think we know how it ends." I replied. We slid the door open and walked outside to our own personal twilight.

~*~

Wow, a happy ending! That's unusual for me. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the story. For all of you, non True Blood fans, Charlaine Harris writes the Southern Vampire mysteries, which are part of the True Blood series. Thought I throw that in there. (I had to look it up, I've never read the books.) I'm thinking up a couple of story concepts now, I'll see if I have time to develop them. Thanks for all the support and reviews!

~JHS ROCKERBABY~


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